Counseling Grief Clients: Functional Interventions for Everyday Use

CPD

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Joy R. Samuels, DMin, LPC-MHSP, NCC Related seminars and products

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Joy R. Samuels, DMin, LPC-MHSP, NCC, has over 25 years’ experience as a licensed professional counselor, Fellow in Thanatology, chaplain, and ordained minister. She teaches in the graduate clinical mental health psychology department at Lipscomb University and at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in the United Methodist Church Course of Studies.  She maintains a private counseling practice and supervises those seeking licensure as a LPC-MHSP.

Dr. Samuels holds DMin and MDiv degrees from Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC. Additionally, she holds an M.S. degree in counseling psychology from California State University, Northridge, CA, and a counseling certificate in substance abuse from the Northern Virginia Community College, Annadale, VA. Among her areas of expertise are individual, couples and family counseling, trauma and bereavement, and post-masters supervision.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Joy Samuels maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Lipscomb University. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Joy Samuels is a fellow in Thanatology.

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Objectives

1. Articulate current models for conceptualizing grief and how these influence treatment planning.
2. Analyze and differentiate clinical symptoms to diagnose grief clients appropriately.
3. Implement functional interventions for grief counseling adaptable to use with any clients.
4. Demonstrate three new interventions to use with bereaved clients.
5. Determine when grief has become “complicated” and develop an appropriate treatment strategy.
6. Develop strategies of self-awareness and self-care for grief counselors as it relates to clinical practice.

Outline

• Models for understanding grief
• Older, familiar models
• Current theories and approaches
• Grief expressions
• Emotional and cognitive
• Physical manifestations
• Behavioral
• Social behaviors and societal reactions
• Predictors and mediators of the experience
• Background: grief is highly individual
• Personality and other vulnerability factors
• Who died; quality of relationship
• Social, contextual and cultural influences
• Mode of death
• Other influences
• Non-death losses

• Differential diagnosis between depression, grief and PTSD
• Persistent complex bereavement disorder
• Use of adjustment disorder diagnosis with grief clients
• Measurement/assessment of grief symptoms

• Common trajectories for grief
• What is “complicated” grief and how do you recognize it?
• Treatment interventions for complicated grief

• Grief counseling
• How is it different from other types of counseling?
• Who often benefits (and who may not)?
• Components of a general approach
• The 3 Rogerian conditions
• Power of presence
• Being a companion/therapist for your grief clients
• Cross-cultural and other diversity considerations
• Dealing with emotional intensity
• Grief vs. trauma
• When clients’ grief is disenfranchised
• Working with couples or families who have experienced the “same” loss
• Preparing for grief “spikes”
• Post-traumatic growth

• The risks and joys of this work
• Self-awareness
• Self-care
• Training opportunities in this field

• Disparity in results across studies for grief
• Risk factors for complicated grief

Target Audience

• Psychologists
• Psychiatrists
• Counselors 
• Marriage and Family Therapists 
• Social Workers
• Pastoral Counselors 
• Chaplains/Clergy 
• Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners
• Mental Health Nurses 
• Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors

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