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Certification

Level 1 Certification in Grief Therapy

Level 2 Certification

Meaning-Focused Grief Therapy (MFGT)

Family-Focused Grief Therapy (FFGT)

Grief Therapy for Non-Death Losses (NDL)

Art-Assisted Grief Therapy (AAGT)

Grief Therapy for Traumatic Loss (GTTL)

Training

In-Person Training

Working with Continuing Bonds in Grief Therapy: A Clinician’s Toolbox

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

Grief Therapy Learning Retreat

Live Online Training

Grief and the Expressive Arts: Activating the Creative Imagination

Recorded Training

Speakers Bureau

Contact

Recorded Training

Recorded Training

Level 1 Lessons

Grief and Its Complications:
An Overview

Grief and Its Complications:
The Quest for Coherence

Attachment-Informed Grief Therapy:
Recruiting Relational Resources

Attachment-Informed Grief Therapy:
Addressing Relational Complications

Trauma-Informed Grief Therapy:
Restorative Retelling

Trauma-Informed Grief Therapy:
Journaling and Embodied Dialogue

Loss of Another, Loss of Self:
Reconstructing Identity Following Tragic Loss

Re-Composing the Self and Systems:
Composition Work in the Wake of Loss

Addressing Diversity in Grief & Loss:
African American & Asian Perspectives

or

Create, Destroy & Transform:
Neuroscience of Trauma in Art-Assisted Grief Therapy

or

Grace in the Darkness:
Posttraumatic Growth & Faith in Traumatic Loss Survivors

or

Grief & Loss in Families:
A Systemic & Meaning Reconstruction Perspective

Grief & Loss in Families:
An Intra-Interpersonal Framework

Grief after Suicide:
Effective Interventions for Adults & Adolescents

Heart to Heart:
Attachment & Emotion Regulation in Grief Therapy

Materials & Methods:
Practicing with the Arts

Non-Death Loss:
An Orientation

Non-Death Loss:
Grieving the Lost Assumptive World

Pre-Death Grief & Loss:
The Quest for Meaning in Terminal Illness

or

Pre-Death Grief & Loss:
Meaning Reconstruction for Families Facing an Impending Loss

or

Sociopolitical Grief:
Grieving the Loss of Our World

Soothing the Torn Edges of Grief & Loss with Expressive Arts

Therapeutic Presence in Grief & Loss Counseling:
Principles & Practices

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

or

Working Together:
Grief Therapy for Suicide Loss

Addressing the Trauma of Suicide & Overdose Loss:
Meaning-Focused Assessment & Therapy

or

Adult Sibling Loss:
Navigating Disenfranchisement & Supporting Back Story Exploration

or or

Collage:
Reassembling Life after Suicide

or

Compassion-Based Therapy for Grieving Individuals

Create, Destroy & Transform:
Neuroscience of Trauma in Art-Assisted Grief Therapy

or

Death of a Partner, Death of a Parent:
Tools for Personal Reconstruction & Reorientation

or

Drama Therapy Techniques in Grief Therapy:
Voicing, Chair Work & Enactment

or

Emotion Co-Regulation & Meaning Co-Construction in Family Grief Therapy

or

Expressive Storytelling:
Writing Techniques to Support Child & Adult Adaptation to Loss

or

Grief through the Creative Lens:
Using the Karuna Cards, Soul Cards & the Creative Toolkit

Memory Boxes:
Creating Containers of Love & Loss

Suicide & Unfinished Business with the Deceased:
Assessment & Intervention

or

The Relational Window of Tolerance:
Systemic Assessment of Bereaved Couples

or

Trauma, Loss & Doll Making

or

Writing the Creative Self in Grief

or

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

or

Captured in a Box of Pain:
Transforming a Daughter's Endless Suffering

or

Circles of Care:
The Gift of End of Life  Discussion

Constructing Relational Resilience:
Working with Couples Following the Death of a Child

or

Dialogue With a Bereaved Mother:
Symbol & Paradox after Traumatic Loss

or

Holding onto Grief:
Addressing Resistance to Change in Bereavement

Impact of Suicide:
A Person’s Story

On the Edge:
A Case Study of Traumatic Loss

or

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

or

Collage:
Integrating the Torn Pieces

Compassion-Based Practices in Grief Therapy

Internal Family Systems
in Trauma & Loss

or

Living in A Shattered World:
Claiming Our Losses and Re‑anchoring Our Lost Footing

Online But in Depth:
Grief Therapy in a Telehealth World

or

Personal Grief Rituals:
Creating Meaningful Acts of Mourning

or

The Mandala as Soul Medicine:
A Jungian Approach to Grief & Loss

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

or

Transcending Taboos:
Re‑writing the Self in Grief

or

Writing for Wellbeing:
Engaging the Dialogical Self in Grief

or

Writing Through Bereavement:
Reconstructing Meaning in Loss

or

other offerings

Live Online Training

In-Person Training

Certification

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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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!

FREQUENTLY ASKED questions