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.
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Navigating the intricate terrain of grief within the context of familial relationships demands a specialized set of skills and insights. The Portland Institute is pleased to introduce this Certification Program in Family-Focused Grief Therapy (FFGT), a comprehensive training initiative designed to help professionals enhance their expertise in supporting children, adolescents and adults through the profound journey of grief and loss.
Note: Level 2 Certification is open only to licensed or registered professionals in their respective disciplines, such as psychology, social work, counseling, medicine, nursing, marriage and family therapy, art therapy and the expressive arts. However, learners beyond these licensed disciplines (e.g., life coaches, child life specialists, chaplains, death doulas) may enrol in any courses they wish without pursuing certification.
This unique certification program delves into the dynamics of grief within family systems, recognizing that loss has a collective impact that extends beyond the grieving individuals. Grounded in contemporary therapeutic approaches and evidence-based practices, our program combines theoretical knowledge with practical skills to provide learners with the intervention tools needed to guide families through the challenges of mourning while fostering resilience and healing.
Led by core PI faculty and select experts in family dynamics, this certification program explores diverse grief responses within families and procedures for facilitating open communication and rebuilding shared meaning. Through interactive and experiential learning, case vignettes, and practice exercises, learners will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to tailor their therapeutic interventions to address the unique needs of grieving families.
Whether you are an experienced therapist seeking to specialize in grief therapy or a practitioner looking to integrate innovative approaches into your practice, this certification program offers a rich toolbox of concepts and clinical practices to help mourners of all ages within family systems rebuild life after loss.
CLICK HERE for More Details.
Note: All the above components can be taken in either online or onsite versions, in any combination and any sequence the learner desires.
Note: Completion of all the required components leads to Level 2 Certification in Family-Focused Grief Therapy (FFGT). Licensed or registered counselors or therapists completing FFGT Certification may be listed on the Portland Institute website as part of our Global Provider Network.
The Orientation to Family-Focused Grief Therapy equips learners to go beyond the individual perspectives and look at grief and loss through a systemic lens, in addition to Meaning Reconstruction framework. Unique losses in family, such as spousal loss, parental loss, child loss, and sibling loss, and their varied dynamics and implications are examined. Learners pursuing FFGT Certification are required to complete at least four Orientation Modules through live webinars or online recordings, or onsite workshops offered at any location in the world.
These Orientation Modules cover the following essential areas:
Systemic impacts of loss in a family and the resulting changes in family dynamics
Different grieving and coping styles within a couple / family
Developmental considerations for individual family members
Family life cycle and its implications on family’s coping
Uniqueness of spousal loss, parental / guardian loss, child loss, and sibling loss
Principles in deciding on individual or conjoint sessions
Strategies in facilitating an experience of shared grief among family members
Each module is focused on a specific therapy tools or techniques that may be delivered through onsite workshops, live webinars or online recordings. Learners briefly practice particular methods during the onsite workshops or live webinars. In the recorded learning setting, learners are invited to reflect on these methods in their Responsive Journals. Learners pursuing FFGT Certification are required to learn at least six Techniques.
Each case study consists of a case conceptualization exercise or videotaped clinical session with a close process analysis to reveal the therapist’s moment-to-moment reading of the client’s need and readiness to engage in specific meaning reconstruction tasks. Learners are required to complete at least two Case Studies through live webinars, online recordings or onsite workshops for FFGT Certification.
Learners form small groups and practice Meaning Reconstruction skills in conjoint sessions with couples and family members, with Portland Institute faculty serving as coaches, for role-play in a shared language. Each session includes practice with learners taking turns in the role of the therapist, clients and observer, followed by feedback and processing. Learners are required to complete at least four Practicum Lessons for FFGT Certification.
Learners are required to fulfill at least three 1-hour individual Mentoring sessions in Meaning Reconstruction for grief and loss in families with one of the Portland Institute faculty in a shared language. These sessions may be conducted in face-to-face mode, or via phone or video conference.
Following the completion of all the above components, learners need to submit one 50-minute video recording of an application of Meaning Reconstruction in addressing grief and loss in a family context in an actual session or in role play, along with a transcript of the session. The session is then evaluated for demonstration of competency in working with grieving clients from a meaning-making and systemic perspectives. Learners then either receive extensive written feedback or schedule a 1-hour feedback session with one of the Portland Institute faculty in a shared language.
By no means. Although PI organizes major training events in its home city, it also sponsors training in every major world region, and you can choose workshops in the location or locations that work for you. And of course online training modules are available anywhere, at any time.
Absolutely. You can participate in any component of PI training simply as a professional continuing education experience, without pursuing certification.
Yes. Payment of the Enrollment Fee is required to establish you as a Certification learner, and to set up a personal Progress Tracker to help you monitor completed requirements toward certification. If you decide to pursue multiple Certification tracks sequentially or simultaneously, Enrollment is required separately for each.
No. You can take nearly any course or module you wish, in any order, with the exception of a few Practicum Studio modules that presume completion of a specified Techniques Module as a prerequisite. Although many learners find the Core Courses a logical and helpful place to begin regardless of the Certification Track they are pursuing, others prefer a different path through the curriculum.
That depends on the specific training event of interest, as well as your professional discipline. Just see pages devoted to the specific events on the PI site for the relevant details.
Not at the present time. All of our Onsite events routinely carry APA CE approval, but APA does not directly certify programs that it does not own or co-own. So, you would need to check with your state board about its CE status, as many states have Category 2 credits or a similar designation that readily confer credit for high quality training even when it does not carry the APA imprimatur.
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.
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.
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.
I enjoyed the whole seminar – very informative and well organized.
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.
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.
I truly loved everything. I particularly enjoyed the combinations of lecture and experientials.
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.
I am extremely impressed by this conference. The topics, the presenters. It was well worth the time and money.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
If you have questions about Portland Institute or some of our offerings, please click the button below to visit our Frequently Asked Questions section – where many common questions are answered!