Reframing Grief for Black Students: A Qualitative Analysis of Grief Resilient Affirming Care through Empowerment (G.R.A.C.E.) Training

Abstract

Black students in K–12 educational settings experience grief in multifaceted ways that extend beyond the loss of loved ones and encompass racial trauma, community stressors, systemic oppression, and chronic disenfranchised losses. Yet, school-based mental health frameworks often fail to recognize or adequately address these culturally embedded grief experiences. This qualitative study examined how participation in the GRACE (Grief Resilient Affirming Care through Empowerment) training influenced Psychiatric Social Workers’ (PSWs) conceptualization of grief among Black students. Fifty-four (n=54) PSWs from the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Black Student Achievement Program (BSAP) completed a pre and post-training qualitative survey. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to explore shifts in knowledge, cultural responsiveness, and clinical application. Four major themes emerged: (1) Expanded Understanding of Grief, highlighting recognition of the diverse forms of loss impacting Black youth, including racialized and systemic grief; (2) Culturally Grounded and Anti-Oppressive Practice, reflecting increased appreciation for the importance of cultural humility, historical awareness, and contextualized meaning-making; (3) Shifting from a Deficit Lens to an Honoring-Based Approach, illustrating greater ability to interpret students’ grief responses without pathologizing or minimizing their lived experiences; and (4) Enhanced Clinical Confidence and Utility, demonstrating that the GRACE framework equipped clinicians with practical tools, language, and interventions to better support Black students’ emotional well-being. Findings suggest that the GRACE Model framework is a promising culturally responsive intervention that strengthens clinicians’ capacity to provide affirming, healing-centered grief support. Implications include the need for continued professional development, integration of culturally attuned grief practices, and future research examining student-level outcomes.