Grief and Trauma: Understanding People, Changing Practice

Cruse Scotland is delighted to invite colleagues from across Scotland and a wide range of professional backgrounds to Grief and Trauma: Understanding People, Changing Practice.

This exciting conference will bring people together to explore the impact of grief and trauma, deepen our understanding of the experiences of those affected, and consider how this understanding can shape and strengthen the way we work.

Whether you work in health and social care, education, housing, legal services, justice, the voluntary sector, financial services or beyond, this is an opportunity to share knowledge, exchange perspectives, build connections and learn from one another.

Together, we can challenge perspectives, inspire new thinking and help create more compassionate, informed and effective support for people experiencing grief and trauma across Scotland.

Why attend?

Hear gain insight from leading voices, including keynote speaker David Trickey.

Understand explore how trauma and grief can affect behaviour, relationships, communication and engagement.

Connect meet professionals from different sectors and perspectives.

Explore choose two practical workshops tailored to the challenges you face.

Apply leave with ideas, approaches and reflections you can take back into practice.

Who should attend?

This conference will be relevant to professionals working across:

Education

Youth Work

Justice

Counselling & Psychotherapy

Legal Services

Housing

Health

Social Care

Local Authorities

Voluntary & Community Organisations

Whether you work directly with people experiencing grief and trauma, support families and communities, or help shape the services and systems around them, the conference offers an opportunity to learn, reflect and connect across professional boundaries.

Focus Sessions

Delegates will have the opportunity to choose two focus sessions from a choice of six. The sessions are deliberately cross-sector, with examples and case studies drawn from different professional settings.

Focus Session 1: When Grief Looks Like Something Else

Understanding withdrawal, anger and disengagement in grieving children and young people. Exploring the less obvious signs of grief and their impact on emotional wellbeing, relationships and behaviour, while considering how professionals can recognise underlying distress and respond with understanding, compassion and appropriate support

Focus Session 2: Trauma, Grief & Neurodiversity

Understanding how neurodivergent people may experience and communicate grief and trauma, and how support can be adapted to meet their individual needs.

Focus Session 3: Trauma, Grief & Risk-Behaviours

Exploring how unresolved grief and trauma can contribute to behaviours such as self-harm and risk-taking, the impact these can have on individuals and those around them, and how they can significantly increase vulnerability to involvement in the justice system.

Focus Session 4: Trauma-Informed Practice for Employers

Looking at how workplaces can recognise the impact of trauma and grief on employees, and help create supportive, understanding and psychologically informed environments for their teams.

Focus Session 5: Trauma, Loss & Life-Changing Events

Loss is not only associated with bereavement but can also follow major life events such as relationship breakdown, job loss, loss of independence, changes in health or a life-changing accident. Exploring how to professionally support clients when everything has changed, balancing empathy with professional boundaries, remaining compassionate without becoming emotionally overwhelmed, and building the foundations of a trusting professional relationship.

Focus Session 6: Professionals & Vicarious Trauma

Who supports the people who support everyone else? Understanding the emotional impact of supporting people through trauma and loss, and recognising the importance of our own wellbeing in building resilience and preventing compassion fatigue.

Description supplied by the event organiser.