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

We are living in a time when people are living longer, but they are also living longer with complex health issues, care needs, and greater dependence on the health care system and families.  While the increase in longevity is something that allows for elders to be a part of the lives of several generations that […]

Widow’s Fire: Embodied Grief & Longing after Sexual Loss

Young widows, who are typically defined as being 50 years old or younger, confront many unique complexities that warrant attention.  Much of the clinical literature about widowhood is derived from older widows; it does not fully capture the experiences of young widows, who usually face an untimely and traumatic loss.  In this module, we will […]

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, […]

Transcending Taboos: Rewriting the Self in Grief

While sadness is readily sanctioned in bereavement, other less comfortable emotions such as anger, regret, relief, guilt, joy, and desire are frequently considered taboos by those facing loss.  Because research shows that a much larger pallet of feelings is common in those who are grieving, this module uses writing techniques to enlarge the space for […]

Online But in Depth

You’ve moved your therapy online, but have you sacrificed the depth and nuance of in-person practice, substituting psychoeducation, simple support and advice for the deeper, more emotion-focused work that grieving clients commonly require?  In this module, we explore the surprising benefits of online therapy for supporting evocative experiential interventions in grief therapy and demonstrate their […]

Living in a Shattered World

Having experienced a major loss or crisis, we may feel that we have lost our sense of footing in life and the resulting loss and grief may be overwhelming.  In this webinar, we examine the key concepts of the Shattered Assumptive World theory and their relevance in times of crises, trauma and loss, such as […]

Compassion-Based Practices

Working with people who have experienced significant losses can be emotionally intense and difficult, especially in situations where the loss itself is ongoing or where the ramifications of the loss have a continuous ripple effect for clients. This session will build upon the components of compassion (mindfulness, presence, and common humanity) in a practical way, […]

Transformed by Loss: Art Therapy Self-Portraits & the Redefined Self

This module, rooted in art therapy theory and Neimeyer’s Meaning Reconstruction theory, introduces the use of self-portraiture with grieving clients.  After a significant loss, the grievers often experience an altered sense of self and the world, and need to reconstruct a cohesive life narrative that is inclusive of their pre-loss and post-loss identities.  The creation […]

Grief through Creative Lens

Grief often calls for personal expression and often words are not enough.  Inviting clients to engage with color, shape, imagery and bits of paper sometimes meets with resistance since many people do not think of themselves as “creative.”  We all have imaginations and therefore the opportunity to view our grief experiences through a creative lens.  […]

Expressive Storytelling

Life-changing loss, especially in its tragic forms, can break life stories as well as hearts.  Expressive Storytelling supports a bereaved person’s adaptation to loss by gathering the shattered pieces, placing them on a chronological timeline, and retelling the crucial details through a therapeutic writing structure that encourages reconciliation and healing. After my father’s death, I […]