Donna Schuurman

Dr. Donna Schuurman is the Senior Director of Advocacy & Training at Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Children & Families based in Portland, Oregon, where she has served in various roles since 1986, including 25 years as Executive Director. She writes and trains internationally on bereavement issues, and has authored numerous articles, book chapters, and the book, Never the Same: Coming to Terms with the Death of a Parent. Dr. Schuurman served as President of the Board of Directors for the Association for Death Education & Counseling, and received their Annual Service Award in 2003 and their Clinical Practice Award in 2013. She is a member of the International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement, and a founding board member of The National Alliance for Children’s Grief. She has trained the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FBI’s Rapid Deployment teams, as well as medical personnel, NGO staff and caregivers following major natural and manmade disasters including the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, Japan’s 1995 Kobe earthquake and 3/11 earthquake, and the school shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary and Umpqua Community College. She serves as a national trainer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and is a member of the Board of Directors of The Compassionate Friends.