6:30 PM Light Dinner
7:00 PM Workshop

Grief is often considered a universal experience; and yet, it can be incredibly isolating for the bereaved. Laden with fear of what to say and concern about upsetting the bereaved often those in positions of support say nothing or their words dismiss the pain of the griever. This 1-hour workshop will offer information and language on what grief is, in its expansive (beyond death related losses) definition; provide helpful ideas of how to support a bereaved person through words and action when it can’t be made better; and, offer strategies for tending to self when navigating a grief experience.

Melissa Sellevaag, LICSW is currently the Director of Training and Education at the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing. She is responsible for designing and implementing training curricula focused on the intersection of grief and trauma to expand the communities capacity to witness, support and tend to grief . Additionally, Melissa oversees the crisis response program for the Wendt Center which provides support to schools, agencies, and businesses in the wake of tragic events.Melissa has over twenty years of experience providing direct services to individuals, families and youth. Melissa has developed, implemented and supervised innovative community-based trauma-informed programming aimed at reducing the barriers to stability and wellness. She holds a MA in Counseling from Marist College and a MSW from Catholic University. She is a licensed clinical social worker in Washington, DC where she lives with her husband, two children and cat.

Please register below by May 31 at 12:00 PM.

This program is generously sponsored by the Dr. Wayne I. Bernstein Minyan and Healing Endowment.