Death is a crisis that all families will encounter and grief is a family affair.  In the aftermath of bereavement, no loss is experienced in a vacuum and no one is spared from its impact.  This module will equip learners to look at grief and loss through a meaning reconstruction lens, and appreciate the systemic impacts on the bereaved families.  This will also enable learners to go beyond an individual perspective on grieving and facilitate post-loss adjustment and meaning-making attempts within and between all family members.

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Learners will encounter useful concepts for assessing family function in the aftermath of loss, including the distinctive impact of the deaths of a spouse, child, parent, and sibling, the resulting emotional shockwaves that reverberate through the family system when death interrupts its equilibrium, and the circular causality that links members of the family despite their differences.  Learners will also explore personal grieving style and how it is shaped by social and cultural factors.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Describe the Dual Process Model from a systemic perspective;

• Recognize different grieving styles that influence a bereaved family’s post-loss adjustment; and

• Facilitate a family conversation about the “back story” of the loss experience.

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​Note:  Completion of this program and return of the Responsive Journal satisfies 1 Orientation Module required for Certification in Family-Focused Grief Therapy.

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PROGRAM CONTENT

This program contains the following video segments:

1. Loss as a Family Affair:  Systemic and Developmental Dimensions (43 mins)

2. Grieving Styles:  Emotional Shockwaves and Family Roles (37 mins)

3. Dual Processes of Mourning:  A Relational Interpretation (29 mins)

4. Family-Focused Grief Therapy:  A Meaning Reconstruction Framework (43 mins)

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COURSE PACK CONTAINS...

• A PDF copy of the presentation slides;

• Grieving Styles Grid, an interactive tool to explore and illustrate the diversity of grieving styles;

• The BOND with Our Family's Lost Member, a family conversation guide to invite a joint narrative of the deceased’s life stories; and

• The Responsive Journal that, upon completion and return, confers 1 credit of Orientation Module leading to Certification in Family-Focused Grief Therapy.