Grief often calls for personal expression and often words are not enough.  Inviting clients to engage with color, shape, imagery and bits of paper sometimes meets with resistance since many people do not think of themselves as “creative.”  We all have imaginations and therefore the opportunity to view our grief experiences through a creative lens.  Approaching grief through the creative lens can benefit anyone who is grieving, no matter what the cause is.  The creative lens fosters a more multi-dimensional approach to grief, as the client uses sensory responses, various forms of expression and somatic awareness, as well as emotional and cognitive process.   

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This module will use The Karuna Cards, a deck of creative ideas offering open-ended questions to process through journaling or in conversation with family, friends or a counselor or therapist.  The prompts to collage, draw or walk in nature encourage a deeper response to the inner distress of grief, whether related to death or a difficult life transition.  Soul Cards, a deck of touch drawing images by Deborah Koff-Chapin, will be used to demonstrate how responding to imagery can shift the narrative of grief.  Activity sheets from The Creative Toolkit for Working with Grief and Bereavement designed to help investigate issues of identity, support, rebuilding one's life and discovering meaning in the midst of any grief situation will be explored as well, including how to use them in flexible ways.  Learners will have the opportunity to experiment with each of these tools.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Summarize the benefits of viewing and responding to grief using creativity;

• Utilize three creative tools that can be applied during grief counseling sessions;

• Respond to prompts accompanying the toolkit in reflective writing about personal loss; and

• Describe how inviting imagination and personal expression can assist clients as they seek meaning in grief.

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Note:  Completion of this program and return of the Responsive Journal satisfies 1 Technique Module required for Certification in Grief Therapy as Meaning Reconstruction, Certification in Art-Assisted Grief Therapy or Certification in Grief Therapy for Non-Death Losses.

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PROGRAM CONTENT

This program contains the following video segments:

1. The Creative Process:  Karuna Cards and the Discovery of Meaning (43 mins)

2. Soul Cards:  Touch Drawing and the Stimulation of Intuition (37 mins)

3. The Creative Toolkit:  From Grief Models to Methods (40 mins)

4. Using the Tools:  From Principles to Practice (35 mins)

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COURSE PACK CONTAINS...

• Sample images and reflective prompts from The Karuna Cards and Soul Cards, with permission of the authors;

• Selected writing exercises from The Creative Toolkit for Working with Grief and Bereavement;

• Guidelines and suggestions for utilizing each method in bereavement support and grief therapy; and

• The Responsive Journal that, upon completion and return, confers 1 credit of Technique Module leading to Certification in Grief Therapy as Meaning Reconstruction;  Certification in Art-Assisted Grief Therapy or Certification in Grief Therapy for Non-Death Losses.