About this course

Learning Objectives

• Identify the development of grief work models of bereavement and appraise their impact on the social and cultural normative expectations of “normal” and “pathological” grief.
• Review and interpret the paradigm shift that allowed for the emergence of modern grief theory in the last twenty years, fundamentally shifting the clinical understanding of adaptive grief and goals of grief therapy.
• Consider appropriate applications of grief theory in their practice setting, including the benefits and limitations of utilizing psycho-education with clients.

Learning Levels

• Introductory

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

Disclosure

References

• Avis, K. A., Stroebe, M., & Schut, H. (2021). Stages of grief portrayed on the internet: A systematic analysis and critical appraisal. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 772696. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.772696
• Gravesen, J. D., & Birkelund, R. (2021). The discursive transformation of grief throughout history. Nursing Philosophy, 22(3), e12351. https://doi.org/10.1111/nup.12351
• Green, D., Karafa, K., & Wilson, S. (2021). Art therapy with grieving children: Effect on affect in the dual-process model. Art Therapy, 38(4), 211-215. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2020.1823197
• Khosravi, M. (2021). Worden’s task-based approach for supporting people bereaved by COVID-19. Current Psychology, 40(11), 5735-5736. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01292-0
• Manevich, A., Rubin, S. S., Katz, M., Ben-Hayun, R., & Aharon-Peretz, J. (2022). Spousal mourning for partners living with cognitive impairment: The interplay of Attachment and the Two-Track Model of Dementia Grief. OMEGA-Journal of Death and Dying, 00302228221142632. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228221142632
• Rubin, S. S., Manevich, A., & Doron, I. I. (2021). The Two-Track Model of Dementia Grief (TTM-DG): The theoretical and clinical significance of the continuing bond in sickness and in death. Death Studies, 45(10), 755-771. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2019.1688014