Final Project
Final Project: Crisis & Grief Care Toolkit and Observed Grief Visit
Bring the course together in two parts. Part 1 is a Crisis & Grief Care Toolkit you could carry into ministry. Part 2 is a short observed role-play of a grief visit with a composite resident, after the chaplain has delivered bad news. Everything may be handwritten. Use composite people only; no one is required to share personal losses. Do not include details of crimes, cases, victims, other residents, staff, or facility security. Leave facility- and state-specific contacts and procedures as blanks to complete with the chaplain.
Requirements
- Referral Sheet: Get Help Now contacts inside (by role, with blanks for procedure), 988 and 911 outside, danger signs, three practiced sentences, and blanks for mental health, medical, grief support, legal aid, and family support
- Gentle Visit Guide: before, during, safety, and after sections; things to do and say; things never to say; a statement that the assistant never delivers notifications or confirms rumors
- Shelter Steps Card: Safe, Stay, Hear, Link with sample sentences and the four gentle calming steps only
- Scripture and Prayer Cards: six accurate KJV verses of comfort or lament and two short prayer cards
- Self-Care Plan: rest and body, soul, people to debrief with, limits, personal warning signs, calming steps, and the Get Help Now rule for yourself
- Observed Grief Visit (Part 2): a 10-minute role-play in which you sit with a composite resident after the chaplain has delivered bad news, using the Shelter Steps, silence, permission before prayer, no clichés, and a closing report to the chaplain; observed by the instructor with the checklist
- A one-paragraph closing reflection on Hebrews 13:3
Timeline
- Module 2: Shelter Steps card
- Module 5: draft Gentle Visit Guide
- Module 6: Scripture and prayer cards
- Module 7: referral sheet
- Module 8: self-care plan, assemble toolkit, observed grief visit, and submit
Grading Rubrics
Grading Rubrics
Every rubric uses the same four levels. Your instructor will mark the level that best matches your work for each row and add a short comment.
Module Assignment Rubric
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completeness | Every required part is done | Most required parts are done | About half the parts are done | Little of the assignment is done |
| Accuracy & Skill | Skills applied correctly with no significant errors | Minor errors that do not affect the result | Several errors that affect the result | Major errors throughout |
| Professional Quality | Neat, clear, and ready for an employer to see | Clear with small issues | Hard to follow in places | Unclear or disorganized |
| Effort & Growth | Went beyond the minimum or clearly improved | Solid, consistent effort | Minimal effort | Little evidence of effort |
Total possible: 16 points.
Reflection Journal Rubric
Journals are graded on effort and reflection, never on spelling, grammar, or the details of a personal story.
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completion | Responds fully to every part of the prompt | Responds to most of the prompt | Responds to part of the prompt | Entry missing or one line |
| Connection to Lesson | Clearly applies the week's skill or idea | Mentions the lesson | Vague link to the lesson | No link to the lesson |
| Faith Reflection | Thoughtfully engages the Scripture or faith theme | Engages the faith theme | Brief mention of faith theme | Does not address the faith theme |
| Personal Application | Names a specific next step or change | Names a general next step | Next step is unclear | No next step |
Total possible: 16 points.
Participation Rubric
Scored at the end of each module. Average the eight scores for the Attendance & Participation grade.
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance & Punctuality | Present and on time for the full session | Present; late or left early once | Missed part of the session more than once | Absent without make-up work |
| Preparation | Completed assignment and brought workbook every time | Usually prepared | Sometimes prepared | Rarely prepared |
| Engagement | Contributes thoughtfully and draws others in | Contributes regularly | Contributes when asked | Seldom contributes, even when invited |
| Respect & Covenant | Models the classroom covenant for others | Follows the covenant consistently | Needs occasional reminders | Needs frequent reminders |
Total possible: 16 points.
Final Project Rubric: Crisis & Grief Care Toolkit and Observed Grief Visit
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toolkit Completeness | All five toolkit pieces and reflection included and usable | Most pieces included | Several pieces missing or thin | Three or more missing |
| Safety & Referral | Get Help Now rule accurate (staff/chaplain inside; 988/911 outside; stay if safe; no secrecy); danger signs correct; no notifications delivered; only gentle calming steps | Mostly accurate with minor gaps | Important safety items missing | Missing, or includes unsafe guidance or promises of secrecy |
| Grief Care Skills | Visit guide and role-play show calm presence, silence, listening, the Shelter Steps, and no clichés or shame | Mostly strong with minor lapses | Several clichés, rushing, or advice-giving | Little evidence of grief care skill |
| Scripture & Prayer | Verses accurate KJV and fitting; prayers simple, honest, and offered with permission | Verses and prayers mostly fitting | Some inaccurate or preachy content | Missing |
| Self-Care & Reflection | Specific, realistic self-care plan; thoughtful reflection on Hebrews 13:3 | Clear plan and reflection | Brief or general | Missing |
Total possible: 20 points.
Quick Guide
Crisis & Grief Care Quick Guide
Keep this guide with your important papers after release.
Get Help Now
If anyone talks about suicide or self-harm, threatens harm, describes abuse, or has a medical emergency: Inside: tell staff or the chaplain immediately. Outside: call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, U.S.), or call 911 for immediate danger. Stay with the person if it is safe. Never promise to keep danger a secret. Never handle it alone.
The Shelter Steps
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Safe | Check for danger first. Get help now if needed. Return here any time danger appears. |
| Stay | Be present. “I'm here. You don't have to talk.” |
| Hear | Listen more than you speak. “That's a lot to carry.” |
| Link | Connect to the chaplain, staff, medical or crisis help, or someone she trusts. “What would help right now?” |
Gentle Calming Steps
- ☐ Slow breathing together: in slowly, out even more slowly
- ☐ Naming three things she can see
- ☐ A short prayer, if she welcomes it
- ☐ Calling the chaplain, staff, or someone she trusts
- ☐ Never anything involving physical discomfort or pain
After Bad News
- ☐ The chaplain or designated staff deliver notifications; assistants never do
- ☐ Never confirm or spread rumors
- ☐ Sit nearby; allow silence and any reaction
- ☐ “I'm so sorry. I'm here.”
- ☐ Ask before praying
- ☐ Watch for danger signs; tell the chaplain how she is doing
- ☐ Follow up in days, weeks, and on important dates
Instead of Clichés
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Everything happens for a reason | I don't know why this happened, but I'm here. |
| I know exactly how you feel | I can't know exactly. Will you tell me? |
| Be strong | It's okay to grieve. |
| You should be over this by now | Take all the time you need. |
| At least… | That's a real loss. I'm so sorry. |
Danger Signs
- ☐ Talk of wanting to die or not wanting to be here
- ☐ “Everyone would be better off without me”
- ☐ Deep hopelessness
- ☐ Giving things away or saying goodbye
- ☐ Pulling away, or sudden strange calm after deep distress
- ☐ Talk of a plan or a way to hurt herself
Verses for the Hurting
- ☐ Psalm 46:1 — a very present help in trouble
- ☐ Psalm 34:18 — nigh unto the broken heart
- ☐ Psalm 56:8 — tears in His bottle
- ☐ John 11:35 — Jesus wept
- ☐ Lamentations 3:22–23 — compassions new every morning
- ☐ Matthew 11:28 — come unto me and rest
My Contacts and Self-Care
Inside contact (role): ____________________ Chaplain: ____________________
Grief support / mental health: ____________________ Legal aid: ____________________
My warning signs: ______________________________________
Who I debrief with: ____________________ My rest time: ____________________
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.— Philippians 1:6 (KJV)
Final Exam
- 1.
Psalm 46:1 describes God as:
- 2.
A crisis is best described as:
- 3.
The four Shelter Steps are:
- 4.
Which is a safe, gentle calming step?
- 5.
In Luke 10, the Samaritan linked the wounded man to further care by:
- 6.
Which is true of grief?
- 7.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 teaches believers to:
- 8.
A woman's child is alive, but she has had no contact for years. This is:
- 9.
Who delivers news of a death to a resident?
- 10.
Job's friends helped most when they:
- 11.
Lament is:
- 12.
Which response avoids clichés?
- 13.
If a resident says she does not want to live, the assistant should:
- 14.
Feeling numb, dreading visits, and replaying others' stories may be signs of:
- 15.
This certificate is a lay ministry credential, not a clinical license.
- 16.
Asking someone directly and kindly about suicide puts the idea in her head.
- 17.
A chaplaincy assistant may promise a resident she will be able to attend a funeral.
- 18.
Children often do better with simple, honest words about death than with phrases like “went to sleep.”
- 19.
A resident has just been told by the chaplain that her mother died. The chaplain asks you to sit with her. Describe what you will do.
- 20.
Explain how Hebrews 13:3 shapes crisis and grief ministry.