MMA Forum With National Speaker to Address the Aftermath of Crisis

October 9, 2025

In response to some of the recent firearm violence that Minnesota has experienced, the MMA is partnering with Hennepin Healthcare to offer a free hybrid (in-person and virtual) session on “Supporting Patients, Families, and Professionals in the Aftermath of Crisis” on October 21 from 6 to 8 pm in Room RL110 at the HCMC Red Building, 730 South 8th Street, in Minneapolis.

The session will be led by David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP, who established and directs the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement (NCSCB) at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He will present the free resources available through the NCSCB and the Coalition to Support Grieving Students, and draw on more than 35 years of experience in pediatric bereavement and school and community crisis response. 

Crises have the potential to cause short- and long-term effects on the psychological functioning, emotional adjustment, and health of patients. This session will provide practical suggestions on how to identify common adjustment difficulties in patients in the aftermath of a crisis, and how to promote effective coping strategies, including incorporating the principles of psychological first aid.  

Providers often experience similar adjustment reactions, underscoring the need for organizational support for professionals.  Professionals can also practice self-care, and via this session, strategies to decrease compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, and moral injury will also be discussed. 

Although the session is in-person, streaming options will also be available.