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 stories of loss can be written and re-written, metaphorically expressed, therapeutically deepened and used to prompt further work with others in support groups or in the client’s personal journal. Participants will receive clear instructions for the use of three distinct writing tools whose goals are to help mourners integrate their losses into the larger narrative of their lives, foster novel reconstruction of their restrictive, frozen meanings, reinforce a secure continuing bond with the deceased loved one, and recruit their imaginations as a healing resource in fostering change.  Such tools are especially relevant in an era of telehealth counseling, when therapists can serve as grief coaches to survivors’ own efforts to make use of reflective interventions between sessions. 

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Facilitate clients’ use of Chapters of Our Lives to discover and deconstruct the role of loss and transition in their own life stories;

• Practice using Virtual Dream Stories to elicit spontaneous, imaginative narratives that reveal the deeper themes associated with a client’s literal losses and suggest practical steps toward change; and

• Implement the Life Imprint technique to trace the way in which the relationship with the deceased shaped the client’s sense of self, paving the way to a continuing bond that is a source of gratitude and inspiration.

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Note:  Completion of this program (total 3-hour activity, including approximately 2-hour recorded webinar and 1-hour practice and reflection) and return of the Responsive Journal satisfies 1 Practicum Session required for Certification in Grief Therapy as Meaning Reconstruction or Certification in Art-Assisted Grief Therapy.

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PROGRAM CONTENT

This program contains the following video segments:

1. Creative Retelling: Reframing Narratives of Loss (25 mins)

2. Chapters of Our Lives: Contextualizing Transition (42 mins)

3. Virtual Dream Stories: The Healing Power of Imagination (25 mins)

4. The Life Imprint: Continuing the Bond (24 mins)

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COURSE PACK CONTAINS...

• Clear instructions for all three of the above techniques, which learners are free to duplicate for their use in grief counseling and therapy; and​

• The Responsive Journal that, upon completion and return, confers 1 credit of Practicum Session leading to Certification in Grief Therapy as Meaning Reconstruction or Certification in Art-Assisted Grief Therapy.