Suicide Loss and Traumatic Grief

Credit

Speaker

Rita Schulte, LPC Related seminars and products

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Rita Schulte is a licensed professional board-certified counselor. She received her B.S. in psychology and a master's degree in counseling from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Rita has a private practice in Fairfax where she specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety/depressive disorders as well as grief, loss, and trauma. In April 2011, she launched Heartline Podcast where she talks with top leaders in the Christian counseling and literary world about cutting edge issues affecting the hearts and lives of people today. She also airs a 1-minute devotional spot Consider This coming to KLZ radio this fall. She is the author of several books: Shattered: Finding Hope and Healing through the losses of Life, Imposter, Think This not That and forthcoming in 2021, Surviving Suicide Loss: Making Your Way Beyond the Ruins (Moody Publishers). Rita is a speaker for PESI, ACA, AACC, and many other organizations.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Rita Schulte receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Rita Schulte is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselor's and the American Counseling Association.

Additional Info

Program Information

You will have access for 90 days after the program for review. 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. Please note that this requirement may vary by credit type. Please see detailed credit information for specific requirements for each credit type.

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. Compare traumatic and nontraumatic bereavement.
2. Examine clinical implications of stigma on suicide bereavement.
3. Identify best practices/models for grief interventions for individuals and family systems bereaved by suicide loss.
4. Choose interventions for grief including narrative therapy, compassion exercises, and somatic resourcing.
5. Examine how mindfulness practices can help clients with trauma symptoms and other difficulties associated with traumatic bereavement.
6. Use research on the process of meaning making to support clients who have experienced traumatic loss.

Target Audience

• Social Workers
• Counselors
• Marriage and Family Therapists
• Psychologists
• Case Managers
• Addiction Counselors
• Registered Psychotherapists
• Other Mental Health Professionals

Outline

The Unique Nature of Suicide Loss

• The psychological impact of suicide on survivors
• Distinctive features of suicide bereavement (e.g., shock, guilt, blame, trauma)
• Stigma, silence, and societal misunderstanding
• The crisis of belief & existential shattering
• Making meaning and the importance of “why”
• How suicide loss differs from other types of grief

Assess and Address Traumatic Grief Responses

• The neurobiology of the traumatized brain
• Symptoms of complicated and prolonged grief
• Trauma-informed assessment tools and techniques
• Dissociation, shame, and survivor’s guilt
• Co-occurring disorders: depression, PTSD, anxiety, substance use

Therapeutic Frameworks for Working with Suicide Loss Survivors

• Use a strengths-based approach to build resiliency
• Integrate narrative and meaning-making models
• Use somatic and experiential methods for trauma release
• Strategies to help clients access and reclaim compassion
• Mindful grief
• Working with spiritual issues
• Culturally responsive care in suicide bereavement
• Research, risks and treatment limitations

Working with Family Systems and Group Dynamics

• Grief roles within families and relational conflict after a suicide
• Help parents, children, and siblings process differently
• Support group facilitation: peer connection and collective healing
• Intergenerational trauma and family history of suicide

Ethical, Legal, and Clinical Considerations

• Manage risk in suicide loss survivors
• Documentation and liability issues
• Boundaries and therapist emotional regulation
• Disclosures, confidentiality, and dual relationships

Postvention, Prevention and Professional Integration

• The role of postvention in suicide prevention
• Support communities, schools, and organizations after a suicide
• Build a clinical niche and collaborating with advocacy groups
• Vicarious trauma and therapist self-care