🌟 Discover The Symposium on Grieving Children: A Day of Insight! 🌟
After the success of the first symposium on grieving children, there will be a sequel in 2026!
🗓️ Date: May 22, 2026
🕒 Time: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
🏢 Location: still unknown
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As palliative and funeral care professionals, you know better than anyone else: where there is goodbye, there is also mourning. And when a child grieves, it looks different from adults – often confusing, sometimes quiet, sometimes explosive. How can we be close to children at a time when everything is changing?
This symposium focuses on the experiences and needs of grieving children. What do they need at the moment of loss? How can we support them, and their families, in parting, saying goodbye and life afterwards?
We are proud to welcome two inspired and knowledgeable keynote speakers for the day:
🎤 Richard Hattink
As an expert by experience and grief specialist, Richard knows better than anyone what grief brings to a child’s life. His lectures are candid, sharp and at the same time heartwarming. He connects personal experience to years of practical knowledge, giving you insights that will stick – and be useful from tomorrow.
🧠 Josephine Aerts
Josephine is a funeral director, specializing in loss, grief and trauma. She combines deep content knowledge with a gentle, accessible approach. Her strength lies in recognizing the signals behind behavior and translating them into what a child really needs – something she conveys to professionals in a clear and practical way.
These two inspiring voices offer a varied program of lectures, interactive workshops, space for meeting and reflection. Together we explore how to better understand and guide children in grief – with head, heart and hands.
We hope to meet you on this meaningful day.
09:30-09:45 Reception
Welcome by the chairman of the day and explanation the program
09:45-10:45 Children grieve differently - but no less
Children grieve differently – but no less“
Speaker: Richard Hattink
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Developmental aspects of grief in children
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How children understand and process death across ages
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What professionals often miss – and what does help
10:45-11:00 Break
coffee / tea
11:00 - 12:00 Case study lecture on child mourning
The Role of Funeral and Farewell in Childhood Grief“
Speaker: Josephine Aerts
- What does goodbye mean to a child?
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How can you actively involve children in the farewell?
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Examples of meaningful rituals, age-appropriate
12:00 - 13:00 Networking/walking lunch
walk, lunch, get some air….
13:00 - 14:30 Workshop
Workshop 1: “Playful conversation: grief communication with children”
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Practical tools for engaging in conversations with children about death and loss
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What do you say and what would you rather not say?
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Practice with metaphors, working forms and example sentences
Workshop 2: “Understanding signals: when does a child need more?”
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Physical, emotional and behavioral signs of grief
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Differentiation between normal and worrisome grief
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How and when do you refer – and to whom?
14:30 - 14:45 coffee break
coffee
14:45 - 15:45 Panel discussion with experts by experience
“What I needed as a child when I lost someone”
With people who lost someone as a child and professionals who counsel children
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What worked? What stuck?
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How can palliative and funeral care mean more?
15:45 - 16:15 Closing moment: Symbolic ritual
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A communal ritual in tribute to lost people
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Reflection and silence – space for own experience
16:15 - 16:30 closing remarks by the chairman of the day
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Chat
16:30 - 17:30 Closing, drinks & networking
drinks and a chat – forget your business cards, but connect with the other participants.
Tickets
Standard ticket: 175 pp
Ticket + workbook/toolkit 195 pp
Who is this for?
This symposium on grieving children is intended for a broad audience, including:
Healthcare Professionals: Experts in health care, such as psychologists, therapists, social worker, and (palliative) nurses; Who are involved in the health and well-being of children.
Education Professionals: Teachers, principals, school psychologists and other educational experts who support children with grief experiences in the classroom.
Funeral Directors: Professionals working in the funeral industry involved in assisting families through the loss of a loved one, including supporting children in grief.
Hospice workers: Caregivers who work in hospices and deal with terminally ill patients and their families, including children grieving the loss of a loved one.
Is this symposium with training credits?
The answer to that question is no. There are no PE points, SKJ points, Register Square points or other points for this event. Why not? There are several reasons for this:
1. Every accreditation costs money, and more money means a higher ticket price. In fact, we wanted to keep the cost as low as possible to keep this event accessible to all.
2. We couldn’t choose between all the registries out there and there are simply too many registries to be able to apply for accreditation for all professional groups.
3. Accreditation also means administration. And administration means, collecting signatures from everyone who attended, checking names and registration numbers, passing on points. In short, more work. Which, in turn, also results in a higher ticket price.
You will receive a certificate of participation with your name, the content of the plenary part and the workshops you attended (with the name of the trainer), so that you can apply for your own points at the accreditation organizations applicable to you.
Do I need to make preparations?
No. The only preparation you need to do is plan free, and show up rested on that day. Oh yeah. And you might want to bring your favorite pen for taking notes?
When will I receive my ticket?
The tickets will be sent out soon. There will be an update on the site when they are shipped.
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