Spirituality, Children and Death
October 15 - November 9, 2012
Spirituality, Children and Death
Instructor: Beverly Isley-Landreth, MDiv, ThM, CHTP
This course will address a topic frequently avoided and often hidden in today’s death denying culture. Even as pediatric hospice programs are beginning to dot the North American landscape in increasing numbers, and as hospice materials increasingly call for effective spiritual care of pediatric patients and families; there remains very little written about how to actually provide hands-on spiritual care to dying children and those who love them most. Those engaging in this on-line experience will be given an introduction to innovative interventions that work for dying children, their siblings and their parents, as they both explore and struggle with issues of spirituality and mortality in an up-close and personal way. Participants will learn how children’s understandings of death are dependent on their cognitive, psychosocial, and psychospiritual stages of development. Correlations between Piaget, Erikson, and Fowler will be identified in a consideration of children’s concepts of death and how they are reflected in the questions they ask. Students will gain insights into giving children and families tools for asking their hard questions and exploring sometimes unexpected answers. They will be given the opportunity to reflect on the creative modalities that allow the work of making meaning and finding hope (core spiritual tasks) to become accessible for children even in the midst of end-of-life realities.
Beverly Isley-Landreth, MDiv, ThM, CHTP, served for 4 ½ years as a Pediatric Hospice Chaplain following her experiences as a NICU/Peds Onc/Peds Psych Chaplain during her CPE residency at WFU Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. Currently, she is serving as a Hospice Bereavement Coordinator/PRN Chaplain, and is also in private practice utilizing Spiritual Direction, Guided Meditation and Tai Chi/Chi Kung with those who are actively seeking growth and integration in their spiritual path. Beverly works with diverse patient groups around issues related to pain management, grief, and depression, and is also a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner. Her article, "Dreamwork as Spiritual Care", was published in NHPCO’s Caring for Children and Their Families, Newsline-Insights Special Pediatric Edition, (Dec., 2007). She was published in NHPCO’s (Dec., 2004) Compendium for Developing a Home-Based Pediatric Palliative Care Program, (in conjunction with the Children’s Project on Palliative/Hospice Services); included are her Pediatric EOL Spiritual Assessment Tool, and Bereavement Follow-Up Protocols. She presented at NHPCO’s Conference on "Caring for Mind, Body and Spirit", in Albuquerque, NM, 7/31/07 on Of Giants and Monsters: Dreamwork as Spiritual Care for Dying Children and Their Families. This same presentation was given at the Carolinas Center for Hospice and EOL Care’s 30th Annual Conference, 9/18/06. Additionally, she presented Integrative Medicine Grand Rounds at WFUBMC Brendle Integrative Medicine Series, 11/5/04, and gave the Plenary Address on Pediatric Palliative Care for the National Association of Genetic Counselors in Washington, DC, 10/8/04.
Tuition: $250
10 Continuing Education Credits
For more information contact NCDE, ncde@mountida.edu or 617-928-4649