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Pennsylvania Donor Family Grief Counseling Program and Training

This intermediate training is being offered to licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, and chaplains affiliated with a hospital.

Overview

  • An innovative program to meet the unique needs of Pennsylvania's families of organ and tissue donors.
  • Experts in grief and loss will share expertise and insight.
  • Specialists on donation and transplantation will highlight the donation process and pertinent issues that may arise for these families.
  • Donor families will share personal stories.

Learning Objectives

  1. Describe the Governor Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund and the development of the PA Donor Family Grief Counseling Program.
  2.  Summarize Gift of Life and CORE's role within the PA Donor Family Grief Counseling program.
  3. Identify the unique grief issues for donor families, specifically those associated with sudden, unexpected loss and the impact of organ and tissue donation.
  4. Identify and respond to common questions and concerns of donor families.
  5. Explain brain death using simple terms and assess the grieving donor family member's understanding of such.
  6. Describe the common myths and misconceptions that the general public have regarding organ and tissue donation.
  7. Differentiate between donation after brain death and donation after cardiac death.

All workshops are via Microsoft Teams in March 2022:
March 11, 12:00-1:30 pm • March 18, 12:00-1:30 pm • March 25, 12:00-1:30 pm

Counselors must attend all three (3) workshops to be eligible to enroll in the program to provide counseling to donor families.

Workshop 1 Agenda - March 11, 2022, 12:00-1:30 pm
(1.5 hours training including Q&A) 1.5 CEs

Welcome Lara Moretti, LSW, CT, Manager of Family Support Services, Gift of Life Donor Program (GLDP)12:00-12:10
1. Donation Myths and Misconceptions Katelynn Metz, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE)12:10-12:50
2. The Donation Process Jennifer Timar, BSN, CPTC, Advanced Practice Coordinator, GLDP12:50-1:30

 

Workshop 2 Agenda - March 18, 2022, 12:00-1:30 pm
(1.5 hours training including Q&A) 1.5 CEs

Welcome Jill McGrail, LSW, Donor Family Support Coordinator, CORE12:00-12:10
1. Introduction to Loss Janet Arida, RN, LCSW, CT, Education and Outreach Coordinator, Child Grief Specialist, Highmark Caring Place12:10-12:50
2. Grief and Ethnicity/Diversity (Cultural Perspective) Brenda Alton, MDIV, DMIN, Manager, Spiritual
Care Services UPMC Central PA Region		12:50-1:30


Workshop 3 Agenda - March 25, 2022, 12:00-1:30 pm
(1.5 hours training including Q&A) 1.25 CEs

Welcome Lara Moretti, GLDP
Jill McGrail, CORE		12:00-12:10
1.    Intersection of grief and donation Lara Moretti, GLDP
Jill McGrail, CORE		12:00-12:45
2. Donor Family Perspective Lori Keener,
CORE, Donor Family
Dawn Ortiz,
GLDP, Donor Family		12:45-1:15
3. Counselor Enrollment and Next Steps Susan Albert, Administrative Assistant, Department of Health1:15-1:30

About the Instructors

  • Lara S. Moretti, LSW, CT is a manager for the Family Support Services department, currently employed at Gift of Life Donor Program (GLDP).
  • Katelynn Metz is a Marketing and Communications Coordinator, currently employed at Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE).
  • Jennifer Timar, BSN, CPTC is an Advanced Practice Coordinator, currently employed at GLDP.
  • Jill McGrail, LSW is a Donor Family Support Coordinator, currently employed at CORE.
  • Janet Arida, RN, LCSW, CT is an Education and Outreach Coordinator, Child Grief Specialist, currently employed at Highmark Caring Place.
  • Brenda Alton, MDIV, DMIN is a manager for Spiritual Care Services, currently employed at the UPMC Central PA Region.

Continuing Education

Attendees may submit for free CE credits upon completion of each workshop.

  • March 11 and March 18 will provide 1.5 CEs each.
  • March 25 will provide 1.25 CEs.

Counselors must attend all three (3) workshops to be eligible to enroll in the program to provide counseling to donor families.

Evaluation and Certificates

Evaluations and certificates will be available online within two weeks of the final workshop and upon successful course completion at www.ceuregistration.com

Registration

Registration is required. Register to attend: PA Donor Family Grief Counseling

Registration deadline is March 4, 2022.

Questions or Concerns?

Please email us at ra-dhorgandonation@pa.gov

There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.