On this episode of The Expressive Mom Show, the topic today will be about why it is important for children to understand that death happens, as well as grief. My guest today is Lisa Athan and she is a Grief Recovery Specialist. 

Lisa serves on the Traumatic Loss Coalition for Youth as a Lead Responder in Union, Essex and Middlesex Counties. Lisa also is on staff at Camp Clover, a NJ bereavement day camp for children and teens. There she is the bereavement specialist and facilitates sharing circles as well as runs the staff trainings and conducts screenings for the camp. She also was a co-developer of the camp. Lisa is currently writing a book for teens, their parents and teachers on grief, loss and other tough stuff that teens experience.

Lisa has experience working in the fields of bereavement, addictions and mental health. Lisa worked at Fair Oaks Hospital in the outpatient recovery unit working with people dealing with drug and alcohol addiction and their families.  Lisa also worked at The Center for the Treatment of Eating Disorders and ran groups for people dealing with eating disorders and their families. Lisa worked at Overlook Hospital on the in-patient psychiatric unit as a counselor and facilitated daily group therapy, and met hundreds of teens and adults suffering with often unacknowledged and unresolved grief which presented itself through addictions, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, psychosis, self injurious behavior including suicide attempts. In order to connect with Lisa, go to her website http://www.griefspeaks.com/.