Speaker Bio
Nicole Barnes, MSW, LICSW
Director of Bereavement Services, Brighter Days Family Grief Center
Nicole Barnes is the Program Manager for Park Nicollet Growing Through Grief, a school-based grief support program and future Director of Bereavement Services for Brighter Days Family Grief Center. She has been a licensed social worker for over thirty years within the medical, education, and nonprofit sectors. Nicole enjoys working with kids and families as they navigate the world amongst adversity. Training and supporting the social work profession is also a rewarding part of her employment. In her free time, Nicole enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids, doing hot yoga, and taking her dog for long walks in the neighborhood.
Breakout 1B & 2B
Grief & Loss Track:
School Based Grief Group Facilitator Training
Nicole Barnes & Josie Robinson
This workshop is designed as an educational cohort opportunity that is inclusive of two in person sessions at the MSSWA Fall Conference and four, 60-90 minutes virtual sessions throughout the 2026-27 school year. The two in person sessions (must attend both) will offer foundations of school-based grief support and application of grief group curriculum. The four virtual follow up sessions will include evaluations and starting your first group, supporting death related incidents, types of grief, culture, and diversity, and self-care. For a participant that attends both in person sessions, 3 of the 4 virtual sessions, and hosts at least one grief group in the school year they will be eligible to enter a lottery for a scholarship to pay for the 2027 MSSWA Fall Conference registration fee.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the prevalence of childhood bereavement nationally and locally,
2. Understand how trauma informed and grief informed are the same, yet different,
3. Apply grief group curriculum with expectations to bring skills back to their work setting.
CEUs: 1.5 BOSW Clinical