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Donna A. Gaffney, DNSc, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN, is a psychotherapist, advanced practice psychiatric mental health nurse, educator, and author. She has long addressed stress and trauma in the lives of adults and children, communities, and healthcare professionals— providing clinical and educational interventions in the aftermath of personal trauma and crisis as well as national disasters such as the Challenger explosion, 9/11, the Sandy Hook school shooting, Hurricane Katrina, and the Coronavirus pandemic.
The needs of nurses working in high-stress settings have been a central focus of Donna’s work— forensic nurses working with victims of violence, nurses in disaster or acute care settings, and nurses affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Her webinar series at the beginning of the pandemic, “Healing Ourselves, While Healing Others,” is still available through Rutgers University School of Nursing. Since March 2020, she has provided pro-bono psychotherapy through the Emotional PPE Project. She facilitates Virtual Schwartz Rounds for the New Jersey Nursing Emotional Well-Being Institute (NJ-NEW) for nurses working at hospital systems throughout New Jersey. Courageous Well-Being for Nurses: Strategies for Renewal was published on September 5th by Johns Hopkins University Press. To learn more about Donna's work, visit her website at www.donnagaffney.com and follow her on Instagram @donnaagaffney and Twitter @donna.a.gaffney.
Donna is also the author of "The Seasons of Grief, Helping Children Grow Through Loss," one of the first books written for the families of bereaved children, and Adolescent Sexuality: A Guide for Clinicians. Recently, she wrote the chapter on “Childhood Grief and The Healing Power of Superheroes” for Superhero Grief, The Transformative Power of Loss, edited by Jill Harrington and Robert Neimeyer. Child and young adult literature have important therapeutic roles in Donna’s practice with all children, especially bereaved children and families. She has curated book lists for parents and teachers and writes discussion guides for children’s and young adult literature: 911: The Book of Help, Speak, Breath to Breath and Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes. Donna consults with Evermore (https://evermore.org/), Youth Communication (https://youthcomm.org/), and the New York Life Foundation on their book series, Kai's Journey (https://www.newyorklife.com/foundation/kais-journey), and Lost in the Middle, a new graphic novel for young people.
With extensive experience in classroom and online education, Donna designs and offers workshops, presentations, and webinars nationally and internationally to universities, organizations, and healthcare systems. She has taught and directed graduate programs at the International Trauma Studies Program, Seton Hall University, and Columbia University, where she was a two-time finalist for The Presidential Teaching Award. Donna holds master's degrees from Teachers College at Columbia University and Rutgers University and earned her doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania. She was a Fellow at Columbia University Journalism School and received a post-graduate certificate from the International Trauma Studies Program in New York City. Donna is a member of the American Academy of Nursing and the American Psychological Association. In 2021, she received the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Award for Excellence in Practice - APRN. For more information about Donna's work, go to her website at https://www.donnagaffney.com/
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