Perinatal Loss and Bereavement Conference:
A Day of Learning and Sharing for Medical and Mental Health Professionals 

March 18, 2020
8:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

UJA Federation of New York
​7th Floor Conference Center
130 East 59th Street
​New York, NY 10022

Keynote Speaker:
​Nicole Alston, MSW from the Center for Complicated Grief at Columbia University School of Social Work

Conference Fee: $30*
*This conference is generously subsidized by UJA-Federation of New York

The Perinatal Loss and Bereavement Conference has been postponed due to concerns for health and safety and an interest in
​limiting large gatherings.
We will be in touch to announce a new date when it is re-scheduled.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

8:45 – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast and Registration
Participants earning social work CE’s will need to sign in by 9:00am.
9:00 – 9:10 a.m. Welcome and Introductions
9:10 – 10:10 a.m. Keynote Address: A look at Pregnancy Loss through the Lens of Complicated Grief
Nicole Alston, MSW from the Center for Complicated Grief at Columbia University School of Social Work
This presentation weaves together the presenter’s own story and that of fictional character Annalise Keating in TV’s “How to Get Away with Murder” as case studies for understanding the shared and unique aspects of grief associated with pregnancy loss. The session will address the principles of complicated grief, and its treatment through case studies, personal experience and commentary from medical professionals.
10:10 – 10:20 a.m. Break
10:20 – 11:20 p.m. Concurrent Sessions (AM)
Session 1: The Long- Awaited Stork: Pregnancy after Reproductive Loss
Presenters: Carolyn Berger, LCSW and Dr. Gila Leiter, MD, FACOG
Participants will explore the experience of pregnancy after loss (PAL) considering the medical implications and emotional challenges. With the use of case studies, participants will learn about the medical protocols for women who are pregnant after a loss. The session will cover emotional challenges, such as anxiety and depression, which often accompany such pregnancies, as well as crucial coping skills to support pregnancy after loss.
Session 2: Getting Grief Right: Help for Doubting Parents and a Skeptical Society
Presenter: Joann Galst, PhD
Dr. Galst will review various theories of grief and introduce participants to parental concerns as to whether they are grieving “appropriately” for their lost babies. This is a particular challenge in the face of familial and societal responses that minimize perinatal death and the extent of parental grief. The lifelong continuum of healing after the loss of a baby will also be discussed.
Session 3: Insights from Two Bereavement Doulas
Presenter: Jae Carey, CD, SBD, CLC and Donna Ore, SBD, CLC
Learn how bereavement doulas hold space for a family as they say hello and goodbye to their baby. The session will include case examples, and cover supporting the family, working with the birth team, and self-care.
11:20 – 11:30 a.m. Break
11:30-12:30 p.m. Parent Panel
Moderator: Erin Collins, LCSW
Panelist: Stefany Fortin and Paul Rothman, Jeremy Rishe and Stacey Linnartz, Meredith Zylberberg, LMSW
Facilitated panel will offer participants the opportunity to hear from parents who have experienced different types of losses. Parents will share what was done well in their care and where there was room for improvements. 
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch Break
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. PM Concurrent Sessions
Session 1: Engaging the Interdisciplinary Hospital Team in Best Practices of Perinatal Bereavement Care 
Presenters: Ivy Diamond, LCSW and Aviva Kleinman, RN, C-MNN, IBCLC, CPLC
Learn from experienced maternal-child clinicians, a social worker and a nurse, about caring for families in the hospital during their loss. Best practices include memory-making, respectful disposition options, creating memorials and support groups. The session will then address engaging staff via experiential learning and support so they can provide the best care.
Session 2: Models of Group Work for Grieving Parents
Presenters: Nancy Berlow, LCSW and Laurie Chameides, LCSW 
Participants will learn how support groups promote healing for parents experiencing perinatal loss. The session will cover different models of support groups and principles for beginning a support group in your agency.
Session 3: Beyond Mothers: The Impact of Perinatal Loss on the Whole Family
Presenters: Bob Bamman, LCSW, Chumi Friedman, Director, A Time, Yonina Kaufman, LCSW, M. Ed.
For good reason, much of the field of perinatal loss focuses on the woman who experienced the miscarriage or stillbirth. In this session, participants will consider the impact of the loss on fathers, grandparents and siblings. The discussion will include supporting these “disenfranchised grievers,” and the complicated family dynamics that may arise.  Presenters will share principles of vicarious trauma as it relates to the impact of loss on families.
2:30-2:40 p.m. Break
2:40 – 3:40 p.m. Panel: Perinatal Bereavement in a Multicultural City
Moderator: Aimee Baron, MD, FAAP Founder and Director of I Was Supposed to Have Baby
Panelists: Amal Amar-Alattaby, BSN, MSN, CNM, Denise Bolds, MSW, CD (DONA), CLC, Ana Deschampes, LMSW, Esther Levie, RN 
Panelists will share culturally-specific understanding, customs,  rituals, and coping mechanisms surrounding perinatal loss.
3:40-3:50 p.m. Break
3:50-4:45 p.m. World Café: Facilitated Table Discussions
In small groups, participants will have the opportunity to discuss current issues in their work related to perinatal loss. Ideas developed during the course of the conversations will be documented for distribution following the conference.
4:45 p.m. Closing Remarks and Questions
Participants earning CE’s will need to sign out following the conclusion of the program in order to receive their certificates.

To request accommodations or discuss accessibility needs please contact plsp@ncjwny.org.
 
The conference will offer 4 Continuing Education Credits for NYS Social Workers.
​
An application for Nursing CE has been submitted.