Experiencing a death by suicide can have a profound impact on those left behind.  In addition to feelings of shock, guilt, anxiety, anger and rejection, they commonly struggle with daunting “why” questions that have no easy or consoling answers.  People bereaved by suicide also present increased risks of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and suicidal behavior compared to other bereaved and non-bereaved counterparts.  While most research in the field has focused on these adverse outcomes, there is a growing body of evidence that many of those experiencing this tragic loss also report posttraumatic growth—a positive psychological transformation that occurs through a process of meaning-making and struggling with a highly challenging and stressful event.

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Informed by the literature and his own research, Karl offers a comprehensive conceptualization of grief after suicide in the context of contemporary grief models, and summarizes what is known about the efficacy of interventions provided to bereaved adults, distilling the ingredients of effective support in both personal and professional contexts.  He then goes on to focus on the impact of suicide on family systems and how best to support young people attempting to move toward an adulthood shadowed by the experience of traumatic loss.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Summarize characteristics of grief after suicide, including how it compares to other forms of bereavement and 'complicated’ grief;

• Describe conditions that facilitate the processing of grief after suicide in psychotherapy; 

• Evaluate evidence for the effectiveness of support provided to people bereaved by suicide;

• Identify the potential therapeutic components of interventions to best help adolescents and adults who are survivors of suicide loss; and

• Conceptualize one’s own role and that of various interventions within a public health framework.

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Note:  Completion of this program and return of the Responsive Journal satisfies 1 Orientation Module required for Certification in Grief Therapy as Meaning Reconstruction, Certification in Family-Focused Grief Therapy or Certification in Grief Therapy for Suicide Bereavement.

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PROGRAM CONTENT

This program contains the following video segments:

1. The Scope of Suicide Loss:  A Continuum Model (46 mins)

2. The Impact of Suicide Bereavement:  From Prolonged Grief to Posttraumatic Growth (42 mins)

3. Efficacy of Interventions and Adolescent Survivors (49 mins)

4. The Lived Experience of Tragic Loss in Youth:  A Closer Examination (47 mins)

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COURSE PACK CONTAINS...

• A PDF copy of the presentation slides;

• Domains to assess in suicide loss survivors;

• Copy of Adolescent Grief Inventory with scoring instructions;

• Consensus recommendations for clinical intervention with young suicide loss survivors; and

• The Responsive Journal that, upon completion and return, confers 1 Orientation Module required for Certification in Grief Therapy as Meaning Reconstruction, Certification in Family-Focused Grief Therapy or Certification in Grief Therapy for Suicide Bereavement.

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