Community Grief: Working with Clients Experiencing Grief
As legal professionals, we are often called upon to support our clients through difficult times. It can be challenging to know the best way to interact with someone who is experiencing such deep emotions and it's essential to respond with sensitivity and compassion.
This course is designed to provide you with the language, techniques, and best practices needed to interact with clients who have experienced various types of grief, including death, divorce, incarceration, deportation, deployment, and foster/adoptive care.
During the class, you will learn about the most supportive and sensitive response for all types of grief. The training will also provide information about Calm Waters services and other resources available in the community.
Presenters’ Bios
Heather Gaglio received her Master's degree at Oklahoma State University in Human Development and Family Science with an option in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2012. She is a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist (LMFT) and an Approved Supervisor through the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Heather has over 10 years of clinical experience and has worked in non-profit and private practice settings. Heather has been involved in supporting research in the field of Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood programs as well. As the current Clinical Director at Calm Waters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Heather oversees a team of therapists and clinical interns who provide over 250 hours of grief counseling to nearly 150 clients each month. She is passionate about increasing access of grief support and educating the community about healthy and helpful ways to support children and families through grief and loss so that no one has to grieve alone.
Hannah Showalter received her Master’s Degree at the University of South Carolina in Social Work with a focus on Health and Mental Health. She has practiced as a Licensed Master Level Social Worker since 2017, with experience in the nonprofit field, child abuse investigations, trauma therapy, and grief. As the Program Director at Calm Waters, a grief center in OKC, she oversees all community and center-based support group programs, a team of program interns, and incarcerated Oklahoman’s jail-based support groups. Her goal in programming is to create spaces where those experiencing grief can share without feeling like a problem to be solved, where our loss is validated, accepted, and remembered.
Disclaimer: All views or opinions expressed by any presenter during the course of this CLE is that of the presenter alone and not an opinion of the Oklahoma Bar Association, the employers, or affiliates of the presenters unless specifically stated. Additionally, any materials, including the legal research, are the product of the individual contributor, not the Oklahoma Bar Association. The Oklahoma Bar Association makes no warranty, express or implied, relating to the accuracy or content of these materials.