Grieving is both a state as well as a dynamic process. As clinicians, what can we do to honor how our clients are feeling after a loss, as well as facilitate their healthy movement through different stages of grief? In this training, we will explore the nature of loss and the goals of grief counseling. We will examine the differences between normal grief and more complicated, prolonged grieving. You will also learn a variety of tools and strategies that you can begin using with clients as they deal with the aftermath of loss.
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
- Describe the nature of grief and its different stages
- Differentiate between normal and complicated grief reactions
- Discuss how to best serve clients who are dealing with loss
- Practice a variety of practical activities that can be used with clients in order to help them process their grief
Syllabus:
Objective #1: Understanding the Nature of Grief
- Define grief, mourning, and bereavement
- Explore grief as an emotional, psychological, physical, and behavioral response
- Identify types of losses that can result in grief
- Review multiple grief models including the Five Stages, Change Curve, Bowlby’s Four Phases, Worden’s Four Tasks, and Wolfelt’s Six Needs
Objective #2: Normal vs Complicated Grief
- Understand characteristics of normal grief and its wide range of expressions
- Define complicated grief and prolonged grief disorder as outlined in the DSM-5-TR
- Review criteria for prolonged grief disorder including intensity, duration, and functional impairment
- Identify risk factors for complicated grief such as mental health history, multiple losses, and lack of social support
Objective #3: Supporting Clients Through Loss
- Differentiate grief counseling from grief therapy
- Implement counseling principles such as creating safety, validating emotions, and supporting meaning-making
- Apply the Dual Process Model, balancing loss-oriented and restoration-oriented experiences
- Support clients in expressing emotions, building coping strategies, and exploring personal grief narratives
Objective #4: Therapeutic Goals in Grief Work
- Facilitate emotional expression and narrative processing
- Help clients adjust to life without the deceased
- Promote healing through planning, memory integration, and meaning-making
- Strengthen relationships, identify continuing bonds, and foster resilience
Objective #5: Clinical Interventions for Grief Processing
- Use talk therapy and CBT techniques to address thought patterns and emotional responses
- Incorporate mindfulness and acceptance-based strategies for present-moment awareness
- Support spiritual exploration including faith-based struggles and meaning reconstruction
- Utilize narrative therapy and expressive arts approaches to access grief stories and emotions
Practical Activities to Process Grief
- Guide clients through rituals to honor and remember the deceased
- Incorporate letter writing as a tool for expression, closure, and emotional insight
- Encourage journaling prompts to deepen self-reflection and grief exploration
- Use poetry therapy for naming and expressing grief
- Introduce transitional objects and symbolic connections to sustain bonds
- Recommend music for emotional release, memory activation, and comfort
- Facilitate the use of grief support groups for connection and shared understanding
Social workers completing this course receive 2 Clinical asynchronous continuing education credits.
For other board approvals, this course qualifies for 2 Clinical continuing education training.
Instructor: Dreya Blume, LCSW
Recording Date: 3/7/2024
CEUS On-Demand, LLC, provider #2274, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/7/2026 - 08/6/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 2hrs Clinical continuing education credits.
CEUs On-Demand, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7091. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CEUs On-Demand, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
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Request for Special Accommodations: Learners can request special accommodations by contacting the administrative team at admin@ceus-ondemand.com