Grief And Loss In The Primary School Classroom: A Practical Guide For Teachers
Course overview
*An overview of grief and loss with relation to developmental stages of children will be given as a means of introducing this topic. Emphasis will be given to the importance of teacher self-care during times of loss in the classroom, including ways to become aware of personal triggers.
*Insight in to how children may present if a loved one is ill, dying or has died will then be discussed using real life examples. The impact on learning and an understanding of the neurobiological changes that take place in times of distress will be outlined.
*Best practices for communication with parents, the child, the class and the school community will then be presented. This includes addressing the common questions teachers have such as ''should I mention it to the child?", "should I/ when should I tell the class?", "What do I say when they come back to school?", "should I contact the parents?", "what do I do if the child becomes emotional?".
*Practical tools to help children with the range of emotions they may experience will they be presented. This will be broken down into the areas of whole school and classroom teacher/ support teacher's roles.
*Opportunity for questions and answers will be provided.
*Finally, a list of further resources for teachers will be given.
Tutor: Hayley Rice, Child and adolescent psychotherapist, Play Therapist, MA MIAHIP MIAPTP
Hayley Rice is a child and adolescent psychotherapist specializing in play therapy. Hayley provides play therapy to children and creative psychotherapy to adolescents in her private practice in Arklow. In 2016 Hayley created Super Kids, a group program which uses play, movement, music, art and friendships to build self-esteem in young children.
Hayley gained a first-class honors Master of child and adolescent psychotherapy in 2018. Her topic of interest- neurodevelopmental play as a means of enhancing speech in young pre-verbal children with autism and parental experiences of this, returned great findings which Hayley incorporates into her daily work.
In 2019 Hayley studied Filial Therapy which focuses on the parent-child relationship as an agent of change. She loves to work alongside parents in their quest to help their children.
Hayley works closely with the Arklow Cancer Support and has a special interest in helping children affected by cancer along with those who have suffered a bereavement in childhood.
In 2020, following the Corona Virus outbreak, Hayley had a huge number of parents reaching out for help. She set up an Instagram page where she shares tips, supportive information and talks about topical issues such as anxiety, behaviour issues and more.
In 2021 Hayley launched her online programmes and workshops for parents and professionals. They have proven hugely successful and are invaluable to anyone who needs help immediately.
