Grief Care Professional Certification Training

Credit

Program Information

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

Speaker

Kathy Couch, LCSW, FT Related seminars and products

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Kathy Couch, LCSW, FT, is a nationally recognized specialist and educator dedicated to helping clinicians navigate the complexities of grief, loss, and bereavement. As a certified thanatologist and Fellow in Thanatology (FT) with the Association for Death Education & Counseling (ADEC), her expertise is deeply rooted in both the science and compassionate art of loss-related care.

Kathy’s extensive experience informs her current roles as the owner of Willow Creek Counseling (private practice) and Rewired360 (EMDR training and consulting). She is the founder of EMDR University, where she educates and consults with clinicians on the EMDR career pathway from EMDR certification to EMDR consultation and training, leveraging her status as an EMDR consultant. Her academic foundation includes a master’s degree in social policy and community practice from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, following unique study abroad experience in Ghana, West Africa.

With over a decade of teaching experience at the Boise State University School of Social Work, where she covered research, case management and child welfare studies, Kathy understands the practical needs of clinicians. Her past roles as a manager of a substance abuse program, a grief debrief coordinator for children, and her background in child welfare and in-patient and outpatient hospital settings underscore her ability to apply evidenced-based practices (EBPs) to complex clinical presentations. Kathy is the co-host of the EMDR podcast, Kathy On The Couch, hosting everyday clinical conversations relevant to EMDR practice.

Kathy's commitment to the field is further demonstrated by her research contributions at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, including work on the GEMINI project (genetics and religious communities) and the Life Transitions Study (religiousness and substance abuse recovery). She also actively serves her community through volunteer roles, including training for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), a past board member for the Board of Community Guardians for 10 years and is developing a public health response to community crisis in conjunction with Southern Idaho Public Health Crisis Department.

Through her teaching, clinical practice, and advanced credentials, Kathy Couch is a leading authority on using trauma-informed approaches, particularly EMDR, to facilitate profound healing in cases of complicated grief.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Kathy Couch is the owner of Rewire360 and Willow Creek Counseling. She receives compensation as a group facilitator and is the Vice Chair of Twin Falls County Board of Community Guardians. Kathy Couch receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Kathy Couch is a member of EMDR International Association.

Additional Info

Program Information

For live CE credit, you must watch the live webcast in its entirety at its scheduled time and complete the CE quiz and evaluation within one week. You will have access for 90 days after the program for review.

Please note: There will be a 70-minute lunch and two 15-minute breaks; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Lunch and break times will be announced by the speaker and at their discretion. A more detailed schedule is available upon request.

Visit our FAQ page at https://www.pesicanada.ca/faq or contact us at https://www.pesicanada.ca/contact-us.

Objectives

1. Distinguish the treatment implications between acute, normal, complicated, disenfranchised, anticipatory, cumulative, and ambiguous losses.
2. Utilize intake assessments that include detailed loss histories, evaluation of grief manifestations, and assessment for depression and suicide risk to differentiate between normal and pathological grief responses.
3. Choose evidence-based interventions for grief counseling and therapy, including psychoeducation, narrative therapy, emotion regulation, creative expression, and cognitive restructuring, tailored to the client’s unique grief experience.
4. Distinguish the differences in goals, scope, client populations, and theoretical orientations between grief counseling and grief therapy.
5. Integrate cultural, spiritual, and developmental factors into grief work.
6. Identify ethical considerations and professional boundaries in grief work, including working with the terminally ill, minors, and families.

Outline

Types of Grief and Their Implications for Treatment/Intervention

• Acute, Normal, and Complicated Grief
• Disenfranchised Grief (e.g., loss of a pet, non-familial relationships)
• Anticipatory Grief and Palliative Care Contexts
• Cumulative and Secondary Losses
• Ambiguous Loss (Physical presence/psychological absence, or vice-versa)
• Treatment implications for Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD)
• Grief Counseling vs. Grief Therapy

Intake Assessment of Grieving Clients

• Detailed Loss History and Quality of Relationship to the Deceased
• Client’s Current Functioning (work, social, self-care, sleep)
• Cultural and Spiritual Beliefs about Death and Mourning
• Grief Manifestations (Emotional physical, cognitive, and behavioral)
• Client’s Readiness for Grief work and Capacity for Emotional Processing
• Screening Tools for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) vs. Normal Grief
• Comprehensive Suicide Risk Assessment (Ideation, plan, means, intent)

Interventions and Strategies for Grief Therapy or Counseling

• Psychoeducation on the Grief Process and Models (e.g., Task, phases)
• Continuing Bonds Framework and Memorialization/Ritual Work
• Narrative Therapy Techniques (Re-storying the relationship)
• Emotional Regulation and Distress Tolerance Skills
• Research, Risks and Limitations

Regret, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation

• Addressing Unfinished Business, Guilt, and Self-Blame
• Self-Forgiveness and Forgiveness of the Deceased/Others
• Reconciling the Loss
• The Role of Idealization and Realism about the Deceased
• Empty Chair and Letter Writing Techniques for Emotional Expression
• Research, Risks and Limitations

The Process of Death, Dying, and Mourning

• Review of Basic Theoretical Frameworks for Grievers
• The Trajectories of Sudden vs. Expected Death
• The Psychological Function of Funeral and Commemorative Rituals
• Navigating Anniversaries, Holidays, and other Triggering Events
• Understanding and Addressing Physical/Somatic Symptoms of Acute Grief

Special Considerations for Grief and Loss Across All Developmental and Life Stages

• Grief in Childhood (Developmental concepts of death)
• Adolescent and Young Adult Grief (Impact on identity formation)
• Parental Loss and Widowhood in Mid-to-Late Adulthood
• Grief in Older Adults and Late-Life Multiple Losses
• Losses specific to Life Stages (e.g., job, health, fertility, divorce)
• Multicultural and Spirituality Considerations
• Ethical Considerations and Self-Care for the Grief Professional

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Registered Psychotherapists
• Grief & Loss Professionals
• Thanatologists
• Nurses
• Other helping professionals