Internal Family Systems

This module will explore the integration of Art Therapy principles, Neimeyer’s Meaning Reconstruction approach to grief and Schwartz’s Internal Family System therapy model (IFS).  The goal of IFS is to build internal cooperation and increase “Self-Leadership” using the eight “C’s” of internal resources, such as curiosity, compassion, courage, and creativity.  An introductory video will illustrate […]

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 […]

Drama Therapy Techniques

How can we as professionals work deeply with the grief of our clients when words are not enough?  This experiential module offers one novel answer in the form of drama therapy techniques adapted for individual and group bereavement interventions.  Dramatic actions in therapy help bring to life invisible dimensions of the experience that cannot be […]

Death of A Partner

Spousal / partner loss is often experienced as a profound loss resulting in significant disruptions in one’s daily life and major changes in the social world.  Whether the couple relationship used to be loving and intimate or ambivalent and conflictual, the surviving spouse / partners commonly need to review their sense of identity, life goals […]

Compassion-Based Therapy

Compassion-based approaches have been widely supported through recent research in the field with diverse populations. These approaches are of specific interest in bereavement due to their capacity-building effect for clinicians and clients alike. Training in compassion has demonstrated enhanced ability to tolerate distress, maintain focus, and discern clinical interventions that are appropriate for clients in […]

Collage: Reassembling Life

This training is intended for professionals who are seeking creative and imaginative skill development in their bereavement interventions with suicide loss survivors.  As no artistic talent is presumed on the part of the client or therapist, this course will be helpful for a broad range of mental health professionals, pastoral counselors and nurses, as well […]

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

Viewed through the lens of the Tripartite Model of Meaning Reconstruction in Loss, the death of a significant person by suicide presents profound narrative challenges to integrating the event story of the loss, reconciling the back story of the relationship with the deceased, and revising the personal story of the life of the survivor. In […]

Working Together: Grief Therapy for Suicide Loss

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 […]

Therapeutic Presence in Grief & Loss Counseling

Therapeutic presence is foundational to supporting a strong therapeutic relationship and allowing clients to process major losses at each stage of life.  Therapeutic presence is a mindful relational stance that encompasses the qualities of being engaged and receptively attuned in the moment, compassionately with and for the client, and in direct human to human contact, […]