Name: Professional Training: How to Best Serve Families Before and After a Death
Start: 2025-11-20T17:00:00-05:00
Location: Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn Lodge

Professional Training: How to Best Serve Families Before and After a Death

Health care providers, physicians, behavioral health specialists, social workers, and medical students will gather on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth, MI, for a specialized training titled “How to Best Serve Families Before and After a Death: What Every Health Care Provider Should Know.”
Hosted by the Barb Smith Suicide Resource & Response Network and supported by the Central Michigan University College of Medicine, this one-day program is designed to equip professionals with the tools, knowledge, and compassion needed to guide patients and families through life’s most difficult transitions.
The training will feature two powerful sessions:
• Part One: Real stories from oncologists and families served by the Dougy Center, highlighting the challenges and opportunities faced by medical providers when caring for patients at the end of life.
• Part Two: An exploration of the implications of diagnosing grieving individuals with Prolonged Grief Disorder, and the ethical considerations surrounding pharmaceutical interventions—often referred to as the “Grief Pill.”
We are excited to welcome Donna L. Schuurman, EdD, FT, Senior Director of Advocacy & Education at the Dougy Center in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Schuurman is internationally recognized as a leading authority on grief and bereaved children, teens, and families. She is the author of Never the Same: Coming to Terms with the Death of a Parent (St. Martin’s Press, 2003) and has been featured as an expert in The New York Times, USA Today, and Redbook. Her experience includes providing guidance to communities worldwide following tragedies such as the Oklahoma City bombing, the 9/11 attacks, the Tohoku Earthquake, and the Sandy Hook school shootings.
This training offers a rare opportunity for healthcare professionals to deepen their understanding of grief and end-of-life care, while engaging in meaningful dialogue about best practices and ethical responsibilities.