The Tristesse Grief Center (The Grief Center)

PROJECT PURPOSE

Experts believe a mental health crisis related both directly and indirectly to the COVID-19 pandemic will peak in the two years following the pandemic and the recent demand for our services (up 219% in the last 5 months compared to any previous period in our 19-year history) supports this. We are receiving an overwhelming number of requests from area school districts related to grief and loss in their student population. The requests include grief and loss education for school professionals, grief resources for school counselors and teachers, and crisis intervention and grief counseling for students who have experienced a death loss. This project aims to address this need by increasing our capacity to serve area schools by 150% during the two-year post-pandemic period. Particular focus will be given to underserved school districts including Tulsa Public Schools and Title One schools in rural communities. Grief in childhood is often marginalized and dismissed by society but the stakes for doing so have never been higher. Emerging data reveals that losing a parent/caregiver or sibling in childhood is linked to reduced resilience across the lifespan, more school failures, heightened risk of depression, suicide and premature death due to any cause.

EVIDENCE

Our school-based programming is rooted in the Positive Youth Development Model (PYD); a strength-based approach to child development, prevention, and intervention. The PYD philosophy of competence covers five areas of youth functioning including social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and moral competencies. We have demonstrated achievement of positive outcomes related to our school-based programming. In 2021, 96.7% of participants demonstrated increased understanding of the grief process, and 92% could verbalize at least one newly acquired positive coping strategy they used in the previous month vs. a negative coping strategy (high-risk activity such as alcohol use, drug use, increased technology use, etc.).

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Deaths from suicide, violence, overdose, and now COVID-19 are regular headlines, yet bereavement care remains absent in our public funding. The reality is that children (under age 24) are a vulnerable population when it comes to grief. Children, unlike adults, have not yet learned how to navigate their emotions or support system and are more likely to turn their emotional distress inward. Siblings who lose a brother or a sister during adolescence face a 71% increase in all-cause mortality. The risks are highest during the first year after a sibling's death and among siblings close in age.2 Children who lose a parent have a significantly higher risk of attempting suicide3 and are more likely to experience a greater number of and more severe psychiatric difficulties.4 Grief disproportionately affects Black children, who are exposed to death earlier and in greater frequencies than White children. Black children are three times as likely to lose a mother and more than twice as likely to lose a father by age 10 compared to White children.5 Our efforts will focus on underserved schools including Tulsa Public Schools, whose student population is 77% non-white and 84% rely on the free lunch program.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Both qualitative and quantitative evaluation measures will be utilized to determine the outcomes and impact of this program. Evidence-based measurements including pre and post-grief assessments and evaluation tools that measure newly acquired skills and knowledge will be utilized on a micro-level. Surveys that address perception related to perceived support and perceived preparedness to address grief in the student population will be given to stakeholders before and after the project is implemented. A Gantt chart will be utilized to track progress toward project goals, objectives, KPI?s and outcomes.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma