In the wake of 2 recent tragedies — the deaths of a freshman student and a high school teacher — over 2 dozen Westporters are sponsoring a talk. It’s set for this Thursday (January 28), 7 p.m. at Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church downtown.
Grief recovery specialist Lisa Athan will speak on “Loss in the Community: What Parents Need to Know to Nurture and Support Their Teenagers.”
Aimed at parents, teachers and practitioners, it will explore thoughtful responses to sudden loss. Athan will discuss how teens cope with and talk about grief, and how to nurture healing in teens and communities after a tragedy.
The purpose is to build open lines of communication and provide resources as a means of encouraging discussion and support in the community. This is planned to be the 1st in a series of conversations.
Athan is executive director and founder of Grief Speaks, and has been trained in post-traumatic stress management. She is co-creator of Camp Clover, a bereavement day camp for children ages 7-15. Athan recently presented at Jonathan Law High School in Milford, following several tragic losses in the student body.
(Sponsors include Stacey Aronson, Bay Street Pediatrics, Lawrence Berliner, Emily Cashman, Causeway Collaborative, Ava Diamond, Faith Filiault, Gerri Fleming, Freudigman & Billings, Francoise Jaffe, Betsey Lebow, Stew Leonard’s, Wendy Levine, Melissa and Paul Levy, Tracy Livecchi, Laura Matefy, Christopher Mills, Kim Ann Oliver, Piper Paul, Recovery Center of Westport, Diane Safran, Frank Safran, Holly Schaff, Anthony Silver, Silver Hill Hospital, Katherine Sullivan, Village Pediatrics, Westport Family Counseling, Westport House and Willows Pediatric Group.)
