Transformative Approaches to Grief Therapy: Healing Unresolved Loss & Fostering Reconstructed Relationships

When grief becomes overwhelmingly preoccupying and protracted, it often emerges at the crossroads of death and the relationships it has disrupted.

In this comprehensive course, we will delve into Attachment-Informed and Two-Track models of bereavement. Our goal is to provide mental health professionals with the tools they need to address complex and enduring grief.

Part 1: Understanding Grief as a Process of Reconstructing Bonds

In Part 1 of this course, we will explore grieving as a profound process of reconstructing, rather than simply relinquishing, our connections with those who have passed away. We will examine the complicating factors that can interfere with this natural process.

Key highlights include:

Attachment-Informed Perspective: We will discuss the attachment-informed view of grief, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and nurturing the bonds that persist even after a loved one’s death.

Case Study Analysis: We will closely examine a single therapy session in which an adult daughter successfully breaks free from the grip of anguishing, long-standing grief. This case study illustrates how grief can infiltrate one’s life with intimate others.

Quality Terms in Narrative: We will emphasize the significance of “quality terms” in the case study client’s narrative, which vividly express the nature of her connection with her mother. These terms also symbolize the devastation of her death and serve as beacons of hope for a reconstructed relationship.

Therapeutic Techniques: We will explore therapeutic techniques, including body imagery and chair work, as powerful tools for facilitating transformative change in grief therapy.

Follow-up Report: This course will conclude with a follow-up report on the case study therapy session, providing valuable insights into the lasting impact of these therapeutic interventions.

Part 2: A Practicum in Core Grief Therapy Techniques

In Part 2 of this course, we will move from theory to experiential practice, focusing on two core techniques of grief therapy. The goal is to enhance personal presence and clinical competence when dealing with complex bereavement cases.

Key highlights include:

Hands-On Practice: Participants will engage in practical exercises to refine their skills in grief therapy. These exercises will allow therapists to apply the theories and techniques discussed in Part 1.

Interactive Learning: Collaborative discussions and peer feedback will help participants gain a deeper understanding of the challenges associated with grief therapy.

By the end of this course, participants will be better equipped to help clients navigate the intricate journey of grief and facilitate the reconstruction of meaningful connections with their loved ones who have passed away.

This course promises to be an invaluable resource for practitioners seeking to enhance their therapeutic capabilities in grief therapy and address complications in bereavement effectively.

• Conceptualize complicated or prolonged grief as a disturbance in attachment to the deceased that calls for relational reconstruction.
• Describe the two-track model of bereavement and the role of accessing the back story of relationship in reorganizing the continuing bond.
• Sketch the tripartite model of meaning-focused grief therapy and its implications for trauma-, attachment-, and resilience-informed interventions.
• Track metaphors and quality terms in the client’s narrative that provide portals to a deeper understanding of the client’s impasse, and how it might be unlocked.
• Outline analogical listening as a method to delve into embodied meanings that maintain mourning and foster their transformation.
• Identify three principles of practice that contribute to the effectiveness of imaginal dialogues in reanimated needed conversations with the deceased.

This training offers 6 hours of direct contact (not counting breaks or lunch). It is the participant’s responsibility to check with their individual state boards/regulatory body to verify CE requirements for their license to practice.

Attendees of the live broadcast will receive instructions on how to obtain their Certificate of Participation after the course is finished.

Attendees of the on-demand recorded version will need to complete a Post-Webinar Quiz with a pass of at least 80% in order to verify attendance and then receive their Certificate of Participation. On-demand attendees will receive instructions on how to obtain their Certificate of Participation once they have successfully passed the Post-Webinar Quiz at the completion of the webinar.

The Certificate of Participation includes:

• Name of participant.
• Title of training.
• Name of presenter plus their credentials.
• Number of hours of training.
• Date of training.
• Confirmation that showed 100% attendance at the live broadcast or passed a quiz with at least an 80% grade to verify attendance of the on-demand recording.

Get details about CE credits for Canadian and non-US international participants.

Get details about CE credits for US participants.

Please check with your regulatory body/organization to ensure that this certificate is sufficient proof for you to claim CE credits.