Through our National Center for Grieving Children and Families we provide support and training locally, nationally and internationally to individuals and organizations seeking to assist children in grief.
Donna Schuurman Executive Director
Dr. Donna Schuurman is an internationally recognized authority on grief and bereaved children, teens, and families, and the author of Never the Same: Coming to Terms with the Death of a Parent (St. Martin’s Press, 2003).
Donna has written extensively on topics related to parentally bereaved children. Her articles and other contributions have been published in scholarly journals and textbooks, and she has been interviewed as an expert on the subject by Redbook, The New York Times, SmartMoney, and many other consumer publications.
A seasoned and compelling speaker to both public and professional audiences around the world, Donna trains, lectures, serves on panels, and presents keynote addresses on understanding and facilitating the grieving process of children. She also serves as an Expert Witness in court trials relating to the impact of death on children, parents and families.
Donna earned her master’s degree in communications from Wheaton Graduate School, and her doctorate in education from Northern Illinois University’s Department of Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education. Her dissertation topic was “The Impact of Parent Suicide on Children.” She served for eight years on the Board of Directors of The Association for Death Education & Counseling (ADEC), including as President in 2001/2002. In 2003 she received ADEC’s Annual Service Award. Donna is also a member of the invitation-only International Work Group on Death Dying and Bereavement (IWG). She also serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention-NW.
As a result of trainings conducted throughout the world, and through The Dougy Center’s Annual Summer Institute, the Center’s pioneering model has been replicated in over 160 sites throughout the U.S. and into Australia, England, Jamaica, Japan, Germany, and Rwanda. The subject of numerous articles, including those in Newsweek, People, The New York Times, and U.S. News & World Report, the Center has been featured on ABC’s “20/20” and “Good Morning, America” as well as other national and international programs.
Dr. Schuurman and Dougy Center program staff have been instrumental in assisting communities in setting up long-term assistance programs following man-made and natural disasters, including the Kobe, Japan earthquake, the bombing in Oklahoma City, and the September 11 attacks.
To contact Donna directly about training possibilities:
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (email)
503-888-8154 (direct line)
