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When Dying Is Well Accompanied: A Quest for Meaning in Terminal Illness

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Grief and the Expressive Arts: Activating the Creative Imagination

Navigating Ambiguous Loss and the Maze of Dementia

Good Divorces & Writing Autoethnographies of Loss & Transition

Aging, Ageism, and Care: Exploring the Needs of Families and Elders

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LIVE ONLINE TRAINING

Navigating Ambiguous Loss and the Maze of Dementia

May 22, 2026, 8:30-11:30am (SGT)

Darcy L. Harris, RN, RSW, PhD, FT

Professor Emeritus of Thanatology
King's University College / Western University London, Canada

The impact of dementia is being felt worldwide at this time, with the number of individuals being diagnosed with some form of this debilitating condition expected to continue to rise exponentially over the next generation.  While the focus tends to be on those who are directly affected, dementia care has a profound impact on families, communities, and the social structures and care systems that surround these individuals.

Utilizing a blend of didactic instruction, case-based learning, reflective exercises, and discussion of the material in small groups, this training module will explore the unique issues and needs of individuals and families that navigate the losses that accompany a diagnosis of dementia, including the experience of ambiguous loss, the unique ways that grief manifests, and the impact of having to navigate social structures and care systems that may be inadequate to meet the needs of individuals with dementia and their loved ones.  Learners will explore ways to support people with dementia across various stages, consider compassion-based communication and therapeutic skills, identify the influence of social messaging on dementia care, and integrate compassion-based practices for family members as well as professionals. 

Note: This 3-hour CE module focuses on topics related to psychological practice, education, or research other than application of psychological assessment and/or intervention methods that are supported by contemporary scholarship grounded in established research procedures.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Identify the unique issues and needs of individuals and families that are affected by a diagnosis of dementia;
  • Summarize the unique experience of ambiguous loss and grief in relation to situations where dementia is present;
  • Apply specific compassion-based practices in the support of individuals with dementia and their loved ones; and
  • Describe the specific ways that social messaging has an impact on individuals with dementia and their loved ones.

Earn 3 Continuing Education (CE) Credits

Portland Institute for Loss and Transition is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.  Portland Institute for Loss and Transition maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Earn Credits for 1 Techniques Module toward
Certification in Grief Therapy for Non-Death Losses
or Certification in Family-Focused Grief Therapy
offered by the Portland Institute.

 

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

This program contains the following segments:

  • Diagnosis of Dementia: Changing Demographics (15 min.)
  • From Principles to Practice: A Case Study (15 min.)
  • Social Messaging: Social Norms and Their Impacts on Health Care (20 min.) ​
  • Dementia From the Inside Out: Video and Small Group Discussions (30 min.)
  • Ambiguous Loss: Unique Features (20 min.)
  • All in the Family: Grief and Care Decisions (20 min.)
  • Suffering and Compassion in Dementia: Personal and Professional Dimensions (30 min.)
  • Reframing in Dementia Care: The Role of Self-Compassion (20 min.)
  • Wrapping It Up: Conclusion and Q&A (10 min.)
 

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 then be issued to you.

INSTRUCTIONAL LEVEL

  • Intermediate

WEBINAR TIMING

  • May 22, 2026, 8:30-11:30am, SGT, Singapore, that corresponds to 9:30am-12:30pm in Japan Standard Time, 10:30am-1:30pm in Australian Eastern Daylight Time, and May 21, 2026, 5:30-8:30pm in Pacific Time, 7:30-10:30pm in Central Time and 8:30-11:30pm in Eastern Time.
  • If your time zone is not listed, you may check the corresponding date and time using World Clock Meeting Planner.
Note: The Zoom link and learning materials will be emailed to the registrants in due course.

Disclosure Statement

This 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.

GRIEF TRAINING FACULTY​

Darcy Harris

Professor Emeritus of Thanatology at King’s University College / Western University in London, Canada.  She is also a faculty member of the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition and co-editor for Routledge publishing company’s Death, Dying, and Bereavement Series.  Her research interests include non-death loss and grief, including structural, political, and environmental grief, in addition to social justice issues in contexts of loss and grief, and the application of compassion-based approaches to loss and grief.

Purchase without CEs
Purchase with APA CEs
USD$99 for 3-hour module / USD$124 with CE Credits

Testimonials

I really liked the session and learned a lot about myself throughout this experience. I learned a lot of practical skills and strategies that I can use for myself or even for my clients in between and during sessions.

Sarah Abi-Khaled

It was great learning and reinforcement of the value of making meaning for one’s posttraumatic growth. I really like the way you model validation and reframing in your case studies. Meeting a client where they are and then facilitating with one of interventions you’ve given, in their moment of readiness. Teaching and modeling this is very helpful to watch unfold.

Celeste Miller

I appreciate so much how Dr. Neimeyer and Dr. Ng explain, present and model the use of the techniques throughout the workshop. Both Drs. Neimeyer and Ng are top in their field. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many other faculty at the retreat–all of whom are experts in this field. I look forward to participating in the certificate program.

Beth Bowman

I enjoyed the whole seminar – very informative and well organized.

Stephanie Enos

Deeply moving, well-supported with theory and research, extremely useful and inspiring. The slides were beautiful and engrossing. I’m sure we were all looking closely and deeply, in a parallel process with the screen and within ourselves.

Robin Roberts

I was very moved by the instructor sharing her personal experience as well as her art. Having her client present to share her loss and her art was also powerful and impactful. The learning from this class was deep and sustaining.

Paula Lowden

I truly loved everything. I particularly enjoyed the combinations of lecture and experientials.

Kristen Moore

The entire retreat was amazing. It was perfectly paced for learning and creating. It was both personally powerful and professionally. I loved the Lunch and Learn.

Brenda Daly

I am extremely impressed by this conference. The topics, the presenters. It was well worth the time and money.

Cynthia Crockett

Thank you for a beautiful retreat. I was moved to tears several times and it has set me on a course of deeper discovery. The presenters were all top notch, knowlegeable, and engaging. The activities allowed us to discover many things about ourselves and sharing the experience with others was invaluable. Those interactions will stay with me for a long time.

Jean Edwards

Honored & grateful for the PI team. Such a wealth of knowledge, expertise & compassion for humanity & healing suffering. I cannot wait to engage further with the PI trainings!

Nola Simpson

This is my first experience with PI and now I have found my go-to place for ongoing learning, mentoring & connection! I’m so excited for more! 

Monica Hanza

Well done!  Appropriate breadth & nice depth of skills covered. Appreciate the experiential approach. Knowledgeable & supportive faculty. Looking forward to doing more with PI in the future.

Allison Ilem

PI’s Grief Therapy Learning Retreat offered a safe holding space for grief professionals to gather in a beautiful setting & learn with prominent leaders in the field of thanatology. Professional yet warm, rigorous yet invigorating — I’m leaving with a sense of renewal to meeting clients where they are.

Lisa A. Rainwater

The retreat, the attendees, the faculty, the leaders and the offerings (learning opportunities) were really off-the-charts amazing. Thank you for creating an event that has been transformational for me.

Sheila Henderson

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