Integrating Grief and Loss Conversations into the SBIRT Model

According to the Dougy Center: The National Center for Grieving Children and Families, individuals cope with losses in different ways; therefore, there is no right or wrong way to grieve. In adolescents and young adults, feelings of loss and grief can develop from many things beyond a loved one’s physical death, such as loss of developmental experiences or milestones. This webinar will explore the various definitions and components of grief and loss and how it can manifest in adolescents and young adults. Using the SBIRT model, participants will learn to identify warning signs and screen for complicated grief in adolescents and young adults, conduct a brief intervention, and link them to appropriate resources for further treatment, including substance use and depression. The presenter will also outline protective and mitigating factors to help adolescents and young adults cope with grief and loss.

• Define the various components of grief and loss and how it affects adolescents and young adults from a physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and spiritual perspective;
• Explore ambiguous, stigmatized, traumatic losses, and anticipatory, disenfranchised, and complicated grief;
• Recognize the importance of screening for loss with their adolescent and young adult clients; and
• Identify ways to screen, conduct brief interventions, and refer high-risk individuals to appropriate services.