Attachment Theory and Continuing Bonds in Grief

In the late 1990s grief theory and research saw a significant paradigm shift, moving away from the early “grief work”, stage-based models. Continuing bonds theory emerged during this era, normalizing the ongoing relationships that individuals often maintain with deceased loved ones. This session will provide a strong foundation in continuing bonds theory, including the limitations and concerns raised in the literature that are often neglected in cursory discussions of continuing bonds. In the years since the emergence of this theory, researchers and clinicians have examined the relationship be...Read moretween attachment and continuing bonds and interest in attachment work in grief continues to grow and evolve.

The session will also introduce attachment theory as it relates to grief and loss, drawing from current research and modern understandings of attachment style as more than just a function of the first 2 years of life. This will include an overview of John Bowlby and Colin Murray Parkes' theory of grief and some of the advancements in attachment work in grief, including Phyllis Kominsky and John Jordan's work on attachment-informed grief therapy and the work of Jakob van Wielink, Leo Wilhelm, and Denise van Geelen-Merks on the transition cycle and secure base counseling in grief. Less...

Learning Objectives

  • Discuss the principles of continuing bonds theory, the relevant research, and its relationship to other grief theories.
  • Identify the significant paradigm shift introduced through continuing bonds theory.
  • Apply attachment theory and John Bowlby’s grief theory on bereavement and continuing bonds theory.
  • Discuss and apply concrete tools and activities for assisting grievers in applying a continuing bonds approach to their grief.

Target Audience

This educational activity is intended for behavioral health professionals, including Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, and MFT's.

Learning Levels

  • Intermediate

Thursday, January 11, 2024

Live Interactive Webinar

12:00 PM EST - 03:15 PM EST

Register for this Webinar
EARN 3 CE Credit Hours

About the speakers

Litsa Williams MA, LCSW-C

Litsa Williams MA, LCSW-C

Litsa Williams, MA, LCSW-C is the co-founder of the online grief organization What’s Your Grief. She’s a grief therapist with 15 years of experience, with expertise in sudden and traumatic loss as well as ambiguous grief. Drawing on personal and professional experience with grief, WYG was built as a resource offering concrete, practical, creative, down-to-earth, and relatable support, founded on the values of psychoeducation and creative coping. It has grown to serve more than 3 million visitors each year. Litsa received her master's degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work, as well as a master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Warwick (UK). She has been interviewed as a grief expert for the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and New York Times. She co-authored the 2022 book What's Your Grief: Lists to Help You Through Any Loss.
Eleanor Haley, MS

Eleanor Haley, MS

Eleanor Haley, MS is co-founder of What’s Your Grief, one of the country’s largest online grief and bereavement support communities which is accessed by over 3 million grievers every year. With a background in counseling psychology, Eleanor has over 15 years of expertise in grief, with expertise in working with families who have experienced traumatic and unexpected losses. She is co-author of the book What's Your Grief: Lists to Help You Through Any Loss and has co-authored 15 grief publications used in hospitals, hospices, funeral homes, and OPOs across the US and Canada. She has experience teaching psychology courses at the college level and is passionate about innovative teaching methods, technologies, and pedagogical approaches to enhance grief education and support. She has been interviewed as a grief expert for media outlets including NPR, Washington Post, The New York Times, USNews, and Huffington Post.

Agenda

12:00-12:15 Introduction, data review, and defining grief

12:15-12:45 History of grief theory: grief work and beyond

  • Shifting the “grief work” paradigm and introducing continuing bond.

12:45-1:15 Understanding Continuing Bonds Theory 

1:30-1:45 Break

1:45-2:00 Re-grief and continuing bonds theory

  • Understanding regrief in children
  • Framework for continuing bond

2:00-3:00 Attachment theory and grief

  • Bowlby and Parkes’ on attachment theory and grief
  • Current applications of attachment theory to grief
  • Attachment in adaptive and maladaptive continuing bonds   

3:00-3:15 Tools and close. 

CE Information - Earn 3 CE Credit Hours

CE Approvals

American Psychological Association
CE Learning Systems, LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CE Learning Systems maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work
CE Learning Systems SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #0060.
New York Education Department for Licensed Mental Health Counselors
CE Learning Systems, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.
Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners
What's Your Grief is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to sponsor social work continuing education learning activities and maintains full responsibility for this program. This training qualifies for XX Category I continuing education units.
New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology
CE Learning Systems dba CE-Credit.com & AddictionCounselorCE.com is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0016.
New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy
CE Learning Systems dba CE-Credit.com & AddictionCounselorCE.com is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0045.

CE Process Info

Professional boards across different states vary in what they will accept. The approvals associated with this event offer credits to a target audience of behavioral health professions, across the widest number of states. If you are unsure if the provided approvals will be accepted by your board, we recommend reaching out to your board office for clarification regarding whether the offered CE’s will be accepted.

Each professional is responsible for the individual requirements as stipulated by his/her licensing agency. Please contact your individual licensing board/regulatory agency to review continuing education requirements for licensure renewal. Please note: You must attend "live" (in real-time) for the duration of the training to earn CE credits.

Before the event, you will receive an email from CE-Go with access to the virtual event. After the event, you will receive access to your evaluation and continuing education certificate via a personalized "attendee dashboard" link, hosted on the CE-Go website. This link and access to the virtual event will be sent to the email account you used to register for the event.

Upon accessing the CE-Go "attendee dashboard", you will be able to:

  • Complete evaluation forms for the event
  • Download your continuing education certificate in a PDF format

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the CE-Go platform, please contact CE-Go at 888-498-5578 or by email at support@ce-go.com Please Note: Emails for this event will come from "support@ce-go.com".

If you have any continuing education related questions, please contact your event organizer.

Please make sure to check your spam/junk folder in case those emails get "stuck". We'd also suggest "Allowlisting" support@ce-go.com. This tells your email client that you know this sender and trust them, which will keep emails from this contact at the top of your inbox and out of the junk folder.

Disclosure

DISCLOSURE OF RELEVANT FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity ― including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity’s planners, faculty, and the reviewer:


PLANNERS AND REVIEWER
The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

FACULTY
The faculty of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.