GRIEF AND LOSS

Course overview

This course provides an overview of the issues surrounding grief and loss encountered in working with clients. The goal is to provide a general understanding of the process of grief, how losses impact life, and how people cope with both. The course will review existing methods for understanding the process of grief, as well as exploring what kinds of losses lead to it. A focus on empathy and returning to the basic skills of listening and building rapport will underline the techniques and considerations of working with a grieving client. This course will outline common issues when working with grieving clients, and identifying issues that can contribute to both loss and grief other than death. It will review common symptoms, stages of grief, coping with life losses and helping distinguish between grief and depression. Suggestions for supporting a healthy grief process, as well as understanding the uniqueness of grief and individual experiences, will be emphasized. Keywords: Grief, Loss, Bereavement, Stages of Grief, Coping, Depression, Death, Common and Maladaptive Grief