Post Traumatic Growth through Children's Grief

Andy McNiel, MA, is an author, trainer, and grief support professional in the bereavement support field. Andy has many years of experience providing counseling and offering support groups to children, teenagers, and adults grieving the death of someone in their life. He has also served in non-profit leadership within the bereavement field in a variety of settings throughout his career. He is a co-founder and an executive partner with The Satori Group, LLC, a national education, management, and consulting company, providing education and consultation to bereavement support and end of life non-profit organizations. He has served as the Chief Executive Officer for The National Alliance for Grieving Children, the Executive Director for The Amelia Center at Children’s of Alabama, and the Director of Grief Counseling Services and Director of Development for Hospice of Martin and St. Lucie (now Treasure Health) in South Florida. In his current work with The Satori Group, Andy serves as Senior Advisor to Youth Programs for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Advisor to Programs for HealGrief and Actively Moving Forward, and Consultant and Advisor for The Compassionate Friends. He is the author of Understanding and Supporting Bereaved Children: A Practical Guide for Professionals as well as numerous book chapters. He has served as a consultant to non-profits across the United States, providing strategic planning, fundraising support, board management, and organizational development. Andy lectures extensively on support group facilitation, grief and bereavement, non-profit management, and leadership. He provides inspirational keynote presentations for professionals and the community alike. He is a trainer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) and is a member of the International Workgroup on Death, Dying, and Bereavement. Andy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Palm Beach Atlantic University and a Master of Arts in Counseling from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is married, has two adult daughters and a teenaged son. He resides in Jensen Beach, Florida.

Dr. Pamela Gabbay is a nationally recognized author and trainer who has served the bereavement field in many capacities during her nearly 30-year career, including working very closely with bereaved children, teens, and adults. She was born on an Army post in Germany and spent her childhood living on military installations, as her father was career Army. Her sister also proudly served in the United States Army. Pamela is a national trainer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and is the co-author, along with Andy McNiel, of Understanding and Supporting Bereaved Children: A Practical Guide for Professionals. As part of the training corps of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Dr. Gabbay travels throughout the country conducting trainings on their behalf. Dr. Gabbay has served in a variety of roles in her career, including being the Director of Operations and Training for The Compassionate Friends, the Director of The Mourning Star Center for Grieving Children, and the Camp Director for Camp Erin-Palm Springs. Dr. Gabbay holds a Fellow in Thanatology (FT) from the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) and earned a Master of Arts degree in Cognitive Psychology from Claremont Graduate University. She earned her Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University. Dr. Gabbay is a member of the TAPS Advisory Board.