While the purpose of Core Courses and Techniques modules is to acquaint you with a range of models and methods of grief therapy, the purpose of the Practicum Studio is to give you hands-on practice of a given skill, approach or procedure with the opportunity for closer observation, modeling and feedback from faculty than these other modules permit.  Like formal professional supervision of actual cases, the goal is to help you develop greater competency and comfort with grief therapy, in a way that addresses your needs and interests, and that draws on the particular strengths of your faculty coach.  In this studio format, you will work online with your faculty member and a small group of learners, engaging in role-plays or discussing actual personal losses as a context for honing new skills.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Cultivate insights into your own loss experiences or into your work with a given client

• Master necessary skills in facilitating meaning-oriented therapeutic conversations and practices

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GRIEF COUNSELLING FUNDAMENTALS COVERED

• Essential skills, such as practicing quiet presence to the client, actively listening and empathically reflecting the deeper meanings and emotions implicit in his/her words, or how to open or close a session or negotiate homework.

• Core procedures, such as Restorative Retelling, Analogical Listening, or Chair Work that have wide applicability to many cases and circumstances.

• Specific techniques, such as Virtual Dream Stories, Loss Epicenters in Life, or Life Imprint, which would benefit from supervised practice to develop a “how-to” understanding of their use.​

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Small group practice using Meaning Reconstruction skills, with learners taking turns in the role of the therapist, client and observer, followed by feedback and processing with Portland Institute practicum faculty.

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Note:  Learners in this Studio are eligible for credits for 4 Practicum sessions for Certification in Grief Therapy as Meaning Reconstruction (GTMR), Certification in Family-Focused Grief Therapy (FFGT) or Certification in Grief Therapy for Non-Death Losses (NDL).