Positive Psychology Tools for Grief Counseling

The Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania defines Positive Psychology (also known as Well-Being Psychology) as "the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive." Though "thriving" may seem like a lofty ideal for grieving people, the tools and concepts that have been found to contribute to things like well-being, purpose, and meaning are far more accessible and may resonate with grievers at different points in their grief. Positive Psychology concepts like resilience, post-traumatic growth, character strengths, accessing social net...Read moreworks, and others offer pathways to coping and new perspectives that may help a person at the critical point where they must rebuild their beliefs and assumptions about life after loss and find ways to move forward that allows space for both their grief and things like purpose, meaning, and positive emotion.

This session will provide clinicians with an overview of positive psychology and positive psychology topics relevant to grief coping and grief counseling. It will provide clinicians with tools and language for using these concepts in their work with grieving clients, particularly when helping clients find effective ways to cope with their experiences. Developed through a collaboration with MAPP candidates from the University of Pennsylvania defines Positive Psychology program and What's Your Grief, all participants will receive a 50+ page digital practitioners guide for implementing the tools and interventions covered in the workshop. Less...

Learning Objectives

  • Describe the general history and theoretical framework of positive psychology.
  • Integrate evidence-informed positive psychology concepts into grief counseling, assessing which concepts have particular relevance to various types of loss and grief.
  • Operationally define positive psychology concepts including but not limited to resilience, post traumatic growth, character stregnths, co-destiny, etc.
  • Identify factors that facilitate positive resilience and well-being outcomes to assist grieving clients in applying these resources and interventions in their grief coping.

Learning Levels

  • Introductory
  • Intermediate

Thursday, June 13, 2024

Live Interactive Webinar

12:00 PM EDT - 03:15 PM EDT

Register for this Webinar
$40.00 - $65.00
EARN 3 CE Credit Hours
Click Here to Register

About the speakers

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.
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.

Agenda


12:00 – 12: 30: History and Overview of Positive Psychology
        • Brief History
        • What is Positive psychology
        • What are the areas of study?
        • Rationale: Why should we care?
12:30 – 1:00: Positive Psychology in the Context of Grief
        • Overlap of grief and most relevant positive psychology concepts
        • Barriers to connecting w/concepts related to pos. psych.
                 Language and concerns about toxic positivity
                 Misunderstanding the aims
                 Guilt over growth and experiencing positive emotion
        • Choosing appropriate directions in grief
                 Values as a compass
                 Allowing entire spectrum of experiences and emotions to exist
        • Contrast to bypassing pain
        • Noticing and tolerating
        • Choosing coping linked w/pos outcomes even when feeling bad
1:00 – 1:20: Resilience
        • What is resilience?
        • George Bonano’s findings related to resilience in grief
        • Protective factors
        • Thinking traps and real time resilience
1:20 – 1:40: Optimism
        • Future Oriented (Dispositional Optimism) vs. Past Oriented (Explanatory Style)
                o 3 dimensions of explanatory styles
        • Seligmans definition of optimism
        • Benefits
        • Upside of Pessimism: Realism
        • Tools
                o Testing one’s own optimism
                o ABC record
                o ABCDE model
1:40 – 1:55: Break
1:55 – 2:10: Self-Compassion
        • Neff’s 3-part conceptualization
                o Self-kindness
                o Common humanity
                o Mindfulness
        • Associations with optimism, positive affect, and other positive outcomes
        • Compassion training/tender self-compassion
2:10 – 2:25: Post Traumatic Growth
        • What is PTG and what is it not?
        • Dimensions of PTG
        • Meta analysis of PTG in grief
        • Barriers and considerations
        • Factors that help to facilitate
2:20 – 2:50: Strengths based approach & Well-Being
        • Rationale for strengths based coping
        • VIA Character strengths tool
        • Person-activity fit
        Well-Being
        • WYG Coping Conceptualization
        • PERMA Intro
        • 5 Domains
        • Social Support
        • Meaning
2:50 – 3:05: Co-Destinty, altruism, gratitude
        • Positive relationship between happiness, subjective well-being & altruistic behavior
        • Noticing: gratitude, positive acts, and moments of positivity
        • Co-Destiny
3:05 – 3:15: QA 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.
Maryland State Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists
This program/activity has been approved by the Maryland State Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists to satisfy Category A continuing education requirements
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.

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