Ethics and Personal Loss, Countertransference, and Self-Disclosure in Grief Support

While historically psychology, counseling, and social work discouraged self-disclosure, in recent years researchers and clinicians have adopted a far more nuanced approach to the use of self-disclosure. Unfortunately, there still remains limited education and training around countertransference and self-disclosure in clinical practice. These topics are particularly important in grief practice and therapy, as clients often seek clinicians with a shared personal grief experience. The last 2.5 years have seen an increase in clients seeking grief support and an increase in the number of clinician...Read mores who have experienced personal loss and are navigating its impact in their professional work.

Through the lens of professional ethical standards and current research, this workshop will outline considerations for assessing the clinical value and appropriateness of self-disclosure through examination of context and content. It will review types of countertransference and the intersection between countertransference, self-disclosure, and personal loss, specifically in end-of-life and grief support. The session will provide clinicians with self-assessment tools to better identify countertransference in their client work. It will also offer concrete strategies to improve clinical competence when utilizing self-disclosure, monitoring the impact of disclosures, and responding to unintended or unexpected client reactions. Less...

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Learning Objectives

  • Describe two common types of counter transference in end of life and grief support and techniques to appropriately respond and manage these reaction to clients
  • Identify at least one ethical principle related to the use of self-disclosure in end of life and grief support.
  • Identify at least two potential positive clinical impacts of self-disclosure and two potential negative clinical impacts of self-disclosure.
  • Describe at least three recent research findings regarding self-disclosure and countertransference in grief support.

Learning Levels

  • Intermediate

Friday, October 20, 2023

Live Interactive Webinar

01:00 PM EDT - 04:15 PM EDT

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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

1:00-1:45 Defining concepts

  • Self-disclosure definitions and types
  • Counter-transference definitions and types
  • Specific relevance to grief and end of life support
  • Relevant ethical principles

1:45-2:30 The impact of personal losses – client and clinician perspectives

  • Client perceptions of self-disclosure
  • Clinician awareness of counter-transference and self-disclosure

2:30-2:45 Break

2:45-3:15 Assessment of personal loss management

  • What does it mean to have sufficiently “processed” personal loss?
  • Assessing the impact of personal grief on clinical work. 

3:15-4:00 Tools and interventions

  • Guidelines for ethical self-disclosure
  • Personal work and targeted self-care
  • Addressing counter-transference 
  • Addressing missteps and related problems

4:00-4:15 Application to practice

  • Relevance to specific clinical experience.
  • Questions 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.
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 3 Category I continuing education units.
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 Board of Creative Arts Therapy
CE Learning Systems (d/b/a CE-credit.com), 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 creative arts therapists. #CAT-0008
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.
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.

CE Process Info

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