About this course

Learning Objectives

• Explain the various factors that can impact how children experience and respond to divorce.
• Evaluate different approaches and strategies for supporting children of divorce in the classroom, including communicating effectively with parents and guardians.
• Apply strategies for supporting children of divorce in the classroom, such as creating a safe and supportive environment, offering additional academic or emotional support, or providing referrals to outside resources.
• Explain the benefits of a school-based group for children of divorce, including providing a safe and supportive space for children to express their feelings, learn coping skills, and build resilience.
• Evaluate different approaches to implementing a school-based group for children of divorce, including logistical considerations such as scheduling, recruitment, and parent involvement.
• Develop and implement a plan for establishing a school-based group for children of divorce, including collaboration with parents and guardians, recruiting and training group facilitators, and ongoing evaluation and improvement of the program.

Learning Levels

• Beginner and intermediate, all levels welcome.

Target Audience

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Kelly Daugherty, LCSW-R, FT, GC-C, BC-TMH

  Grief Specialist and Educator

  Kelly Daugherty, a seasoned social worker with over two decades in the clinical field, is a Fellow in Thanatology, specializing in death, dying, and bereavement. Anchored in Malta, NY, she owns Greater Life Grief Counseling, LCSW, and the Center for Informed Grief, LLC. Kelly co-owns Healing Strides, LLC, where emotional and physical well-being intersects in a unique 7-week program for grieving women. Kelly is also a contributing author of "Holistic Mental Health" and "Brave Kids," and lead author in the collaborative book "The Grief Experience: Tools for Acceptance, Resilience and Connection" set to release in February. She is dedicated to revolutionizing grief support by offering tools and insights to individuals and professionals alike.
  Connect with Kelly: https://linktr.ee/kellydaugherty

• 

  Cheri Davies, LCSW-R

  Cheri Davies is an experienced Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 17 years in the mental health field. Holding a master’s degree in social work from Adelphi University, her professional journey has encompassed diverse domains, including roles within hospitals, educational institutions, not-for-profit agencies, and private practice.

  In 2019, Cheri embarked on her dream of owning a private practice, Birch Hill Counseling, which is nestled in the picturesque landscapes of upstate New York. Beyond her clinical undertakings, Cheri channels her passion for writing and her unwavering commitment to advocacy. Collaboratively, she has partnered with Kelly Daugherty of the Center for Informed Grief to create a divorce-oriented training for educators. Cheri is a co-author of the bestselling compilations “The Grief Experience”, and “Holistic Mental Health Vol 1 and Vol 2”. As a resolute champion for the Alzheimer’s Association, Cheri is a community educator and uses her platform through television appearances, podcasts, and social media to illuminate various facets of the Alzheimer’s community.

Disclosure

References

• About the CDC-Kaiser ACE Study |Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC. (n.d.). https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html
• Almesemari, A. (2022). Divorce: Background, impact on children and suggestion to lessen damage. American Journal of Society and Law, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.54536/ajsl.v1i1
• Aspfors, J., & Bondas, T. (2013). Caring about caring: Newly qualified teachers’ experiences of their relationships within the school community. Teachers and Teaching, 19(3), 243–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2012.754158
• Brand, J. E., Moore, R., Song, X., & Xie, Y. (2019). Parental divorce is not uniformly disruptive to children’s educational attainment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(15), 7266–7271. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1813049116
• Cohen, G. M. (2002). Helping children and families deal with divorce and separation. Pediatrics, 138(6). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-3020
• Cohen, P. R. (2019). The coming divorce decline. Socius, 5, 237802311987349. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023119873497
• Delucia-Waack, J. L., & Gerrity, D. A. (2001). Effective group work for elementary school-age children whose parents are divorcing. The Family Journal, 9(3), 273–284. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480701093006
• Deribe Damota, M. (2019). The effect of divorce on families’ life. Journal of Culture, Society, and Development, 46. https://doi.org/10.7176/jcsd
• Deribe Damota, M. (2022). The effect of divorce on families’ life. Journal of Culture, Society and Development, 46. https://doi.org/10.7176/JCSD/46-02
• Educator’s guide workgroup. (n.d.). https://www.afccnet.org/Resource-Center/Center-for-Excellence-in-Family-Court-Practice/educators-guide-workgroup
• Gürgan, U. (2020). The effect of psychodrama integrated psycho-education program on resilience and divorce adjustment of children of divorced families. World Journal of Education, 10(1), 56. https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v10n1p56
• Helping children adjust to divorce: A guide for teachers. (n.d.). MU Extension. https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/gh6611
• Laletas, S., & Khasin, M. (2021). Children of high conflict divorce: Exploring the experiences of primary school teachers. Children and Youth Services Review, 127, 106072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106072
• Lamela, D., Figueiredo, B., Bastos, A., & Feinberg, M. E. (2016). Typologies of post-divorce coparenting and parental well-being, parenting quality, and children’s psychological adjustment. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 47(5), 716–728. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-015-0604-5
• Lofthus, G. A., & Skorpen, F. (2016). To be in between: The meaning of PIS-divorce groups for children from divorced families. Nordic Journal of Nursing Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/2057158516638275
• Lowenstein, L. (2013). Cory helps kids cope with divorce: Playful therapeutic activities for young children. Champion Press (Canada).
• Margolin, S. (1996). Complete group counseling program for children of divorce: Ready-to-use plans & materials for small and large groups, grades 1-6. Jossey-Bass.
• NVSS - Marriages and divorces. (n.d.). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/marriage-divorce.htm
• Rejaän, Z., Van Der Valk, I. E., Schrama, W., Van Aalst, I., Chen, A., De Boer, C. G. J., Houtkamp, J., & Branje, S. (2021). Adolescents’ post-divorce sense of belonging. European Psychologist, 27(4), 277–290. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000444
• Tullius, J. M., De Kroon, M. L. A., Almansa, J., & Reijneveld, S. A. (2021). Adolescents’ mental health problems increase after parental divorce, not before, and persist until adulthood: A longitudinal TRAILS study. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 31(6), 969–978. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-020-01715-0