Grief & Bereavement

Grief & Bereavement

Grief is a measure of our love and dependence and is the price that we pay for loving. It is mainly a reaction to loss, or anticipated loss, but it also includes our distress on behalf of the person who has died or who is dying. One of the things that we all need at such a time is a deep understanding of both these parts of the grief reaction. For with understanding will come some relief.

Grief, however, like a life-span has a course to run. As the duration of life varies with individuals, so does the duration of grief.

The goal of grief and bereavement ’therapy’ ultimately is to help the client to let go of someone they don’t want to let go of. Someone they must let go of in order to carry on living.

Course Content

• Modern attitudes towards death
• Bereavement & the client
• What is grief – what can be done to help
• Ways in which bereavement affects the male
• Working with children suffering grief and bereavement
• Grief vs. meloncholy and depression
• Anger
• Adjusting life after someone close has died a violent death
• Denial
• Exploring grief & the letting go of the pain
• Rights of the bereaved

Course Outcomes

• Describe the grief reaction, the ‘chaos’ of grief and show the four different phases.
• Summarise bereavement counselling.
• Investigate the stress specific and non-specific/mixed reactions of grief and show the different types of grief.
• Discuss your understanding of the management of grief.
• Describe a ‘pang’ or ‘wave’ of grief and analyse what might trigger such an episode.
• Explain how anger is a normal response to grief and how it is often misdirected.
• Identify the primary symptoms of grief and the ‘on-going’ state which is likely to be experienced.
• Define your understanding of the following: Stigma and Deprivation
• Evaluate ways in which bereavement affects the male client.
• Explain how children handle grief at different ages.
• Discuss how the counsellor deals with the burden of guilt in a child.
• Describe how blame plays a part in a violent death and how it interferes with the mourning process.
• Identify normal and pathological denial.
• Summarise the rights of the bereaved.

Course Investment £95 (Higher Certificate £120)

20-30 hours of study time.