Traumatic Loss: When Language Becomes Challenging

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Psychosocial support has proven to be beneficial for children experiencing the death of a loved one. When this loss involves a brain death, trauma, overdose, or suicide, conversations with children can become even more difficult. This presentation will address methods of effective communication for these situations, and offer insight to help instill confidence as families initiate these conversations.

Objectives:
Construct developmentally appropriate scripting for end-of-life conversations, including brain death, trauma, overdose, and suicide.
Identify and explain the key components for effective communication when talking to children.
Educate families on developmentally appropriate language to utilize when telling a child difficult news.

DOMAIN: Intervention; 1.5 PDU's

Magellan Taylor-Brickey

MA, CCLS, GCCA-C

Magellan Taylor-Brickey graduated with her Master’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies, with an emphasis in child life, from The University of Missouri. She completed her child life internship at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and has been a certified child life specialist since 2013. Magellan has a passion for serving others, and utilizes her child life skillset to support children and families facing life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses. Her child life career has entailed work in the home hospice setting, working with pediatric patients, as well as children of adult patients. Magellan currently works with children of adult patients in the adult palliative care setting, and has been in this role for five years now. Outside of work, Magellan is married to Chase, and they are the proud parents of two rescue dogs, Sophie and Bumblebee. Magellan also volunteers with her sorority and is an active member of the Junior League of Fort Worth.

Tricia Feldman

BS, CCLS

Tricia Price is a graduate from the University of Georgia with a degree in Child and Family Development and an emphasis in child life. She completed her child life internship at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia and has been a certified child life specialist since 2012. Tricia began her child life career working in the pediatric intensive care unit and pediatric oncology unit at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. At Rainbow, Tricia also gained experience and interest in working with children of adult patients and later transitioned roles to work at the Cleveland Clinic, where she helped start the child life program for children of adult patients. Tricia’s interest and passion for supporting children and families facing serious illness and injury led her to Dallas where she now works as a palliative care child life specialist at Baylor University Medical Center. Working in a level 1 trauma center has increased Tricia’s passion for helping children understand and process traumatic events and death.