Understanding Grief And Loss

CE Course Description

Individuals who have experienced loss will inevitably have a grieving process. There are many different types of grief to be understood by mental health professionals. These include normal grief, sudden loss, and complicated grief. In this course, we will explore grief, the symptoms of grief, types of grief, theories on grief, and treatment modalities that can be utilized when working with a grieving person. Mental health professionals will learn about how to care for grieving patients as well as how to support their own self-care and self when experiencing personal grief or trauma to ensure that all services administered are ethical and best support the grieving patient. 

Author: Sara Amundson, MSW

CE Course Objectives

1. Define and recognize the symptoms of grief
2. Explore theories related to grief
3. Identify appropriate treatment methods depending on the type of grief being presented
4. Understand the importance of clinicians' own self-care, boundary setting, and prevention of compassion fatigue
5. Discuss how to apply cultural awareness and understanding when working with grieving patients

CE Course Outline

Section 1: Introduction (5 mins)

1. Overview of course objectives and topics (5 mins)

Section 2: What is Grief? (20 mins)

1. Symptoms of Grief (5 mins)
2. Normal Grief vs. Complicated Grief (5 mins)
3. Grief Case Studies: Anticipatory Mourning (3 mins)
4. Grief Case Studies: Sudden Loss (3 mins)
5. Grief Case Studies: Complicated Grief (2 mins)
6. General Coping Strategies for Grief (2 mins)

Section 3: Research on Grief (25 mins)

1. Stages of Grief (5 mins)
2. Considerations for the Stages of Grief (3 mins)
3. Four Tasks of Mourning (4 mins)
4. Rando’s Six R Process of Mourning (4 mins)
5. Parkes and Bowlby’s Four Phases of Grief (3 mins)
6. Continuing Bonds Model (3 mins)
7. Berger’s Identities of Grievers (3 mins)

Section 4: How Mental Health Professionals Can Support Patients (30 mins)

1. Treat Symptoms Caused by Grief (5 mins)
2. Provide Psychoeducation (5 mins)
3. Process Trauma Related to Grief (4 mins)
4. Prevent Future Symptoms (4 mins)
5. Grief Case Studies: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (4 mins)
6. Grief Case Studies: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (4 mins)
7. Grief Case Studies: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) (4 mins)

Section 5: Self-Care for Mental Health Professionals (20 mins)

1. Compassion Fatigue (4 mins)
2. Boundary Setting (4 mins)
3. Managing Personal Grief (4 mins)
4. Grief Case Studies: Self-Care (4 mins)
5. Grief Case Studies: Compassion Fatigue and Boundary Setting (4 mins)

Section 6: Personal and Cultural Dynamics Related to Grief (15 mins)

1. Rituals (10 mins)
2. Cultural Understanding (5 mins)

Section 7: Overview and Summary (5 mins)

1. Recap of key concepts, techniques, and research (5 mins)

Additional Resources

1. References (Not timed)