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Digital Seminar

Complex and Complicated Grief

Clinical Tools for Practice
Faculty:
Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC
Duration:
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Format:
Audio and Video
Copyright:
25 Apr, 2024
Product Code:
POS059803
Media Type:
Digital Seminar
Access:
Never expires.
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Description

Complex and Complicated Grief presents a comprehensive framework for recognizing and treating a difficult condition that is often overlooked in many patients.  Drawing on the work of grief theorists, this course traces the history and terminology of complicated grief and reviews the clinical diagnosis of prolonged grief. The session identifies risk factors that contribute to this diagnosis, such as traumatic or unexpected loss, insufficient social support, complicated relationships, and disrupted rituals, among others. A variety of treatment options are explored to maximize clinical outcomes along with options for treating complicated grief in children, somatic approaches, prevention with high-risk clients, memorialization of belongings, grief related to overdose deaths, and the role of social support. By the end of the session, participants will be able to differentiate complex grief from other grief presentations, apply narrative and trauma-focused techniques in treatment, and integrate the emotional, psychological, and relational dimensions of grief into clinical practice.

CPD

Faculty

Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC's Profile

Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC Related seminars and products

Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC

Recognized as one of today’s foremost experts on grief, Claire Bidwell Smith is a licensed therapist, international speaker, and the author of five books published in 22 countries. Led by her own experience in grief and fueled by her work in hospice and private practice, Claire strives to provide support for all kinds of people experiencing all kinds of loss. clairebidwellsmith.com.


Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Claire Bidwell Smith maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Conscious Grieving Inc. She receives royalties as a published author. Claire Bidwell Smith receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Claire Bidwell Smith is a board member of The End Well Foundation.

 

Objectives

  1. Differentiate complex grief from other forms of grief and it’s clinical implications.
  2. Apply narrative therapy and trauma-focused techniques to facilitate comprehensive treatment interventions.
  3. Integrate emotional, psychological, and relational aspects of grief, leading to more meaningful outcomes.

Outline

  • Introduction
    • Clinical background and personal experience
    • Grief as a normal, human experience
       
  • Foundations of Grief
    • Core components of grief and secondary losses
    • Unpredictability of grief emotions
    • Complicated nature of grief
       
  • History and Terminology of Complicated Grief
    • Alan Wolfelt's definition of complicated grief
    • Historical and alternate terms for grief
    • Key contributing theorists and researchers
       
  • Diagnosing Prolonged Grief Disorder
    • Diagnostic criteria for Prolonged Grief Disorder
    • Clinical debate over pathologizing grief
    • Prevalence and long-term risk factors
       
  • Risk Factors for Complicated Grief
    • Culture and community support
    • Circumstances and timing of the death
    • Family systems disruption
       
  • Differentiating Complicated Grief from Normal Grief Responses
    • Grief bursts/attacks 
    • Hope Edelman’s framework
    • Functional effects of unresolved complicated grief
       
  • Treatment Approaches
    • Assessment and the “companioning” model
    • Steps for complicated grief work
    • Emotion regulation strategies
    • Family systems work
    • Narrative therapy for rewriting the client’s story
    • Ritual creation
    • Continuing bonds theory
       
  • Q&A
    • Future needs and directions in grief-focused clinical training

Target Audience

  • Psychiatrists   
  • Psychologists  
  • Counsellors   
  • Social Workers  
  • Marriage and Family Therapists   
  • Nurses   
  • Physicians  
  • Other Mental Health Professionals 

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