Description & Objectives

Continuing Education Hours: 1.5 CE for LPC, SW, LMFT, and Psychologists - NBCC Approved

Description: This presentation will explore the complex experience of secondary losses that often accompany ambiguous grief for survivors of violence. We will also discuss supporting children who are navigating secondary losses and ambiguous grief. The presentation will provide participants with practical tools and expressionistic/art interventions to help process grief, build resilience, and develop healthy coping skills. Participants will also have opportunities to explore how these interventions can benefit their own healing process, fostering connection and emotional expression for the whole family.  

Learning Objectives:

  • Help participants identify and validate their client experiences and their own experiences with grief and ambiguous loss.   
  • Learn healthy coping skills and expressionistic/art interventions to support emotional healing and resilience for adults and children. 
  • Provide tools to help children process their emotions and secondary losses through creative expression and structured support.  
  • Integrate these interventions into family routines to build stronger emotional connections and promote healing together. 

Instructor

Kerri Newman

Kerri Newman (she/her) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over a decade of experience supporting children, teens, and families who are grieving. She began her work in the bereavement field in 2012 and served as Program Director at Journey of Hope Grief Support Center from 2015 until its closure in 2025. Kerri now serves as a therapist and the Operations Director at Wellspring Counseling Center, where she sees clients and leads the next chapter of Journey of Hope peer grief support groups and provides individual and family therapy. Kerri is passionate about creating spaces where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to navigate their grief experiences.