Whether they are striving to restore a sense of secure attachment to a loved one lost to death or to resolve lingering relational issues with the deceased, mourners frequently need to reengage those they have lost rather than relinquish the bond and “move on.”  In this module, we will explore and practice several creative narrative, emotion-focused and conversational methods for re-introducing the deceased into the social and psychological world of the bereaved, fostering a sustaining sense of connection and alliance with the loved one in embracing a changed future, and working through issues of guilt, anger and abandonment triggered by the death and the shared life that preceded it.  Learners will leave with tools for assessing factors that complicate grieving, helping clients appreciate the role of the loved one in their construction of their own identities, and re-access and revise frozen dialogues with the deceased that interfere with post-loss adaptation.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Discuss the concept of continuing bonds with the deceased and identify how it can both support and interfere with adaptive grieving.

• Practice two techniques for consolidating a constructive bond with the deceased as the client transitions toward a changed future.

• Summarize the use of the Unfinished Business in Bereavement Scale (UBBS) for assessing residual conflicts and disappointments in the relationship with the deceased that invite therapeutic work.

• Use the Life Imprint technique to recognize the living legacy of the deceased for the survivor at both concrete and abstract levels.

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Note:  Completion of this module and return of the Responsive Journal satisfies half of the Core Course on Attachment-Informed Approaches to grief therapy required for All PI Certification Programs.

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PROGRAM CONTENT

This program contains the following video segments:

1. Presence within Absence: Reconstructing the Continuing Bond (48 mins)

2. Restorative Realignment of the Relationship: Addressing Unfinished Business (43 mins)

3. Writing through Bereavement: A Case Study of Complicated Grief (41 mins)

4. Stepping into Self: Re-writing the Terms of Attachment (45 mins)

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COURSE PACK CONTAINS...

• Instructions for Introducing Our Loved Ones, Correspondence with the Deceased and the Life Imprint.

• The Unfinished Business in Bereavement Scale (UBBS): the full validated scale with scoring instructions and permission to use it in clinical and research contexts.

• The Responsive Journal that, upon completion and return, confers 0.5 credit of Core Course leading to All PI Certification Programs.

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The module materials will be emailed to the learners upon completion of purchase.