Join us at Grief Matters, a one-day educational seminar hosted by Tides. The day focuses on understanding and supporting grief in children and the systems that surround them.
Date: May 1
Location: Calvary Harvest Fields, Boalsburg, PA
This year’s theme, The Ripple Effect: Supporting the Whole System When a Child Grieves, explores how grief impacts not just a child, but their family, school, and broader community. When a child experiences loss, the effects ripple outward. When we support the whole system, healing becomes more possible for everyone involved.
Grief Matters brings together caring professionals, educators, and community members for a day of learning, reflection, and connection. Through presentations and shared conversation, we’ll explore practical ways to better support grieving children and those who walk alongside them.
Whether you work directly with children, support families, or are simply seeking to deepen your understanding of grief, we hope you’ll join us for this meaningful day.
SCHEDULE
8:30 -9:10 AM | Registration, breakfast and welcome
9:15 – 10:15 AM | Keynote Presentation: Find The Helpers – MaKenzee Knott (Fred Rogers Institute)
10:30 – 11:45 AM | Navigating Grief in the Classroom: Practical Strategies for Supporting Students
– Terri Bowling (Highmark Caring Place)
11:45 – 12:45 PM | Lunch provided by Graze by TJ
12:45 – 1:45 PM | Navigating the New Normal: Bringing Community Back To Death and Dying – Tanisha Bowman
2:00 – 3:00 PM | Talking About Difficult Things – Makenzee Knott (Fred Rogers Institute)
3:15 – 4:00 PM | Sustaining the Helpers: Essential Self-Care for Professionals Supporting Grieving Children
– Alexa Livelsberger (Highmark Caring Place)
4:00 PM | Brief Closing
5 Continuing Education Credits Available: Individuals seeking to obtain Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist, and Professional Counselors credits will need to complete and submit the NASW-PA evaluation packet, along with a $15 fee for Members of NASW or $25 fee for non-members, made payable to NASW-PA. Packets will be available via email prior to the seminar and day of the event.
Professionals $100 | Students $70
Sponsorship opportunites are available ranging from $100-$1,000.
Thank you to our sponsors
Meet The Presenters
Terri Bowling
Highmark Caring PlaceTerri is the manager at the Highmark Caring Place facility in central PA.
Her business background in sales and marketing gives Terri the opportunity to marry her experience with her passion of finding unique ways the serve the grieving community and to expand programming with a focus on those who may be underserved. Terri holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Millersville University and a bachelor’s in psychology from Penn State University. She is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling and is certified in thanatology (CT).
Terri lives in Mechanicsburg with her husband and two dogs. She is the proud mom of three and has five amazing grandchildren. Learning new things, reading, dark chocolate, ice cream, traveling, puzzles, spending time with family and friends, and being called ‘Nana’, are some of her favorite things.
Tanisha Bowman
Deathwalker, Palliative Care and Hospice Social Worker, EOL EducatorTanisha is a death doula and former palliative care social worker who is now making a career transition into hospice social work. An up-and-coming leader in her field, Tanisha lectures at hospitals throughout the U.S., does a multitude of end-of-life related education at both the clinical and community level, and has been interviewed by multiple podcasts and media outlets. Her passion for helping people live their best death is a major driving force behind her work and she is always honored to be given opportunities to share her knowledge and experience with others.
Makenzee Knott
Fred Rogers InstituteKenzee’s role as a program associate allows her to celebrate and convey Fred Rogers’ values and long-lasting impact on our neighborhood and beyond. Her involvement in Educators’ Neighborhood inspires educators to connect in the spirit of empathy, kindness, and community. Kenzee engages in the study of archival material through various speaking and research opportunities. She also collaborates with undergraduate students in the Fred Rogers Scholars program as they embody Fred’s important values through community outreach efforts. Before her role as a program associate, she worked at the Fred Rogers Institute as a work-study while obtaining her B.A. in English with a secondary education certification at Saint Vincent College. She was a Fred Rogers Scholar as well. She acquired her M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from SVC during the fall of 2025. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her border collie, Winston, and read.
Alexa Livelsberger
Highmark Caring Place
Lexi is the outreach and education coordinator at the Highmark Caring Place in Lemoyne.
Lexi has worked with children and families in a variety of settings throughout her career, including community mental health, kinship care, and victim service fields. She has worked directly with children who experienced trauma and most recently worked for a statewide victim service organization providing training and support to counselors working with traumatized children and families.
She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Juniata College and a master’s degree in social work from Case Western Reserve University and is a licensed clinical social worker. Lexi enjoys time with her friends and family, keeping up with her two young children, and spending warm weekends camping and boating at the lake.