Titrating Trauma, Rescuing Relationship: Clinical Strategies for Addressing Tragic Death

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 […]

Grief Therapy Learning Retreat

Join us in Bainbridge Island, Seattle, WA, USA, for our 5-Day / 4-Night Grief Therapy Learning Retreat that offers close access to a selection of internationally renowned Portland Institute faculty and guest speakers, who provide substantial training in the latest research and practice on meaning-oriented grief therapy approaches. Drawing on a blend of systematic instruction, […]

Writing Through Bereavement

Although retelling the “event story” of the death in an atmosphere of responsive witnessing represents a core component of Meaning Reconstruction, it is only one of a great variety of narrative procedures that can be used by grief therapists.  In this workshop we explore the possible role of a sample of creative techniques in which […]

On the Edge

Major loss, especially of key attachment figures in our lives, can shatter a world of meaning anchored in that relationship, and leave survivors struggling to make sense of the loss and their lives in its aftermath.  When such losses occur violently and traumatically, they can further undermine core constructs of predictability, benevolence, and control, greatly […]

Impact of Suicide

The loss of a loved one to suicide can be devastating, and healing sometimes requires the support of a skilled mental health clinician.  In this two-module series, a grief therapist who specializes in working with suicide loss survivors and a mother who lost her young adult son to suicide will together describe their journey through […]

Dialogue With a Bereaved Mother

This haunting, compassionate, and healing dialogue highlights the art making process, products, and mystical experiences of a bereaved mother whose journey is understood and guided by the tenants of meaning reconstruction, restorative retelling, and attachment informed grief therapy.  Learners are invited into the inner workings of art therapy and a creative process with Lynne.  She […]

Adult Sib Loss

The loss of an adult sibling is a deeply personal and often overlooked grief experience, leaving many adult surviving siblings feeling disenfranchised in their mourning. The first half of this module will explore the unique nature of adult sibling loss and how the back story and shared narrative of this special relationship is impacted by […]

Personal Grief Rituals

Loss, grief and mourning are ubiquitous human experiences that pervade the work of therapists, psychiatrists, counselors, and social workers alike.  Helping those who have experienced a significant loss can be challenging and confusing, largely because there is no single intervention that is well-suited for all individuals.  In what ways can we tailor our interventions to […]

Trauma, Loss & Doll Making

Dolls have a universal and timeless appeal.  Ancient civilizations created them to ward off illness, promote fertility, and ensure abundant crops.  Dolls have been infused with the wishes, fears, and hopes of their makers, and have served as powerful talismans of transformation.  Learners will discover the clinical benefits of doll making through case studies that […]

Suicide & Unfinished Business with the Deceased: Assessment & Intervention

The loss of a significant person to suicide or overdose is more than a traumatic life event.  It also poses a profound challenge for survivors in establishing a sustainable continuing bond to the deceased, characteristically leaving many questions unanswered, much that is unsaid, and multiple longstanding concerns unresolved.  This module focuses on the burden of […]