Part 3: Gun Violence and Tragic Loss: Grief Support for Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults

November 18, 2022

12:00-3:00pm CST

Course Description: Following the days of a traumatic event, our most vulnerable populations may struggle with reliving the trauma and recalling the painful cries for help, fears of an untimely rescue, and surviving the guilt of losing a beloved friend, peer, or school-based professional.

Grief Support for Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults expands upon part I and II of this three-part training series and deepens the practitioner's real-world application for treating acute stress, grief, and trauma. While facing undesirable emotions and physiological symptoms, practitioners will introduce trauma narratives and exposure strategies to help young survivors alleviate cognitive distortions and emotional distress.

Alongside trauma narratives and exposure strategies, participants will identify cognitive behavioral therapy techniques and evidence-based practices for modeling, role playing, and teaching young survivors stress relaxation management, grounding exercises, and mindfulness strategies.

Learning Outcomes:

• After this course, participants will be able to identify cognitive behavioral therapy techniques and evidence-based practices for modeling, role playing, and teaching young survivors stress relaxation management, grounding exercises, and mindfulness strategies.
• After this course, participants will be able to apply trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy techniques for psychoeducation, trauma narration, and cognitive processing of the traumatic experiences.
• After this course, participants will be able to define stuck points that impede the healing and recovery process and apply Socratic dialogue to challenge cognitive distortions.

Tanika Johnson, EdD, MA, LPC-MHSP, LMHC, NCC, BC-TMH, CCTP, is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health Service Provider, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Board-Certified Telemental Health Provider, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Contributing Faculty Member, Continuing Education Presenter, and Education Consultant. Dr. Johnson specializes in addiction, trauma, sexual assault, human trafficking, domestic violence, crisis and behavioral health interventions, anxiety, mood disorders, perinatal disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anger and impulse control, and self-management coaching. She also has experience with education consulting and serving the special education community and the exceptional needs of children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities.