When a significant person dies by suicide, homicide, overdose or fatal accident, mourners often need more than the informal support systems in their lives can provide, calling for specialist intervention.  And yet many professionals struggle to meet the daunting challenges that such violent and unnatural deaths pose, not only to the survivors but also to their therapists.  This practicum session focuses to two major sites of meaning construction in such cases, focusing on the griever’s need to titrate the trauma evoked by the narrative of dying, and to rescue the relationship with the deceased from the horror and possible stigma of the circumstances of the death.

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In Part 1 of this module, we will begin by considering recent longitudinal research on the role of avoidance and approach coping on prolonged grief and other psychiatric outcomes in the aftermath of violent death, and the role of meaning making in mediating these effects.  We then turn to several means of titrating the traumatic impact of approaching and retelling the story of tragic dying, beginning with the construction of safety in the therapeutic relationship for such difficult work, and extending to strategies for helping clients stay within their window of tolerance for the potentially overwhelming emotions such work entails, whether working with individuals, families or groups.  Aspects of this work will be illustrated by clinical videos, and clear guidelines will be provided for the specific techniques discussed, which will be implemented in group practice.

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In Part 2, we discuss research documenting the high priority that long-term survivors of stigmatizing losses place on restoring the personhood of the deceased, as part of the process of reconstructing a sustainable continuing bond.  Illustrating this process in a clinical video, we then offer several tools and techniques for reaffirming the reputation of the loved one or restoring the relationship, using written, conversational and arts-assisted means.  Individual and small group practice will then prime concluding discussion about the coordination of these two dimensions of clinical work in grief therapy.

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Note:  This 3-hour CE module focuses on application of psychological assessment and/or intervention methods that have overall consistent and credible empirical support in the contemporary peer reviewed scientific literature beyond those publications and other types of communications devoted primarily to the promotion of the approach.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Summarize evidence regarding the outcomes of approach vs. avoidance coping and the mediating role of meaning in mediating future psychiatric outcomes following tragic death;

• Describe the use of the therapeutic alliance and specific clinical procedures in assisting clients with emotion regulation while processing narratives of traumatic loss;

• List categories of meaning making invoked by long-term survivors of stigmatizing deaths in reaffirming the personhood of the deceased; and 

• Identify three therapeutic techniques for helping survivors rescue the relationship with the deceased from the tragic circumstances of the dying.

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Note:  Attendance of this Live Online Training session confers credit of 1 Practicum 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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COURSE PACK PROVIDES

• A PDF copy of the presentation slides; 

• Instructions for Walking the Labyrinth of Life;

• Guidelines for preventing re-traumatization during retelling when working with groups or families;

• Prompts for Restorative Conversations technique; and

• Instructions for drafting the Certificate of Life.

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TARGET AUDIENCE

• Psychologists, social workers, counselors, art / music / expressive arts therapists, pastoral care personnel, healthcare professionals, bereavement volunteers

• To qualify for the 3 CE Credits, please kindly note that:

  • Full attendance of the entire session is required to receive CE credits.  No partial credit is awarded.

  • You are required to complete a CE quiz after the session.  An overall score of 75% or higher within three attempts is required to obtain CE credits.

  • The certificate of CE credits will be issued to you upon your submission of a participant evaluation form.

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INSTRUCTIONAL LEVEL

• Intermediate

 

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

This program contains the following segments:

• Approach & Avoidance in Traumatic Loss:  Impact & the Role of Meaning (45 min.) 

• Ensuring Safe Approach:  Relational and Technical Contributions (45 min.)

• Rescuing the Personhood of the Deceased:  Research and Clinical Illustration (30 min.)

• Tools for Reaffirming Relationship:  A Restorative Repertory (60 mins.)

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WEBINAR TIMING

• 9am-12pm, PST, Portland, OR, that corresponds to 12-3pm in Eastern Time, 5-8pm in Greenwich Mean Time and 6-9pm in Central European Time.

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Note:  The Zoom link and learning materials will be emailed to the registrants in due course.

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Disclosure Statement

This recorded module is not supported financially by a manufacturer of any commercial product and there is no sale of any product or publication during the live training session.  There is no known conflict of interest for this CE module or the presenting faculty.