Colorado State University Hosts Community Lecture on Helping Children Deal with Grief and Loss

Colorado State University will host a lecture Nov. 9 on helping children deal with grief and loss as part of its "Families at Five" series, a program designed to help community members enhance family relationships.

The presentation will be given by Kevin Oltjenbruns, professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State. Oltjenbruns will discuss principles that can be used to help children cope with many types of loss, with the primary focus on death. The workshop will cover normal manifestations of grief among children and discuss how adults can provide support.

The event is free and will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Room 113 of the Gifford Building on campus, 502 W. Lake St. Parking for the event is free in the "A" lot to the west of the Gifford Building.

Children can attend the presentation with their parents or they can participate in a free children’s program. The children’s programs for ages 3-6 and ages 7-11 will be centered on the theme, "Its is Hard to Say Goodbye."

The "Families at Five" program features free monthly presentations on the fourth Thursday of every month. The program is sponsored by the Colorado State University Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic within the College of Applied Human Sciences. Next month’s workshop on Dec. 14 will focus on "Raising Strong and Sensitive Girls and Boys," presented by Toni Zimmerman, professor at Colorado State and director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program.