Complicated Grief and Its Treatment

Approximately 2.5 million people die every year in the United States alone and, worldwide, the number of deaths reaches 60 million. Estimating an average of three very close friends and relatives means at least 7.5 million people are bereaved yearly in the United States and 177 million people are bereaved every year around the world. Mental health practitioners understand that the death of a loved one is a uniquely challenging life experience and is one of the most difficult a person can face. 

Despite the difficulty of losing a loved one, over time most people find a way to come to terms with the loss, reshape their relationship with the person who died, and restore a sense of meaning and purpose in their own lives. However, for an important subgroup mourning is derailed, leading to development of complicated grief (CG). CG can be reliably identified and is associated with substantial distress and impairment, including a high risk for suicidal ideation and behavior. 

In this two-hour continuing education web conference, Dr. Katherine Shear will share research suggesting people experiencing CG respond positively to a targeted treatment that addresses grief complications and also supports and revitalizes the natural healing process. She will describe CG and diagnostic criteria for the condition as well as outline the development and testing of complicated grief treatment (CGT), a targeted psychotherapy. 

This intermediate instructional level course is designed to help clinicians:

1. Describe the syndrome of complicated grief.
2. Describe methods for assessment of complicated grief.
3. Describe the results of treatment efficacy studies in complicated grief.
4. Summarize the overall objectives and structure of complicated grief treatment (CGT).
5. Identify strategies and techniques for treatment of complicated grief.

If you have any questions or concerns about this web conference or would like more information, please contact us here.

Event Reviews from Members

Giving more structure to working with grieving clients, deeper understanding of attachment and how it relates to grief, mapping the process to integration, and the SHERPA concept - loved that! – Dawn Lewis, MS, LCPC, NCC

I appreciated hearing about this topic from a thoroughly researched perspective. I don't always enjoy this sort of approach but I felt the presenter had so much depth of knowledge and a flexible approach to psychotherapy. - Julia Steele, MA, RTC 

Continuing Education (CE) Information

Two CE credits will be provided by GoodTherapy.org for attending this web conference in its entirety. 

GoodTherapy.org is an Approved Education Provider by NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals (provider #135463). Of the eight counselor skill groups ascribed to by NAADAC, this course is classified within Counseling Services. 

GoodTherapy.org is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEPTM) and may offer NBCC-approved clock hours for events that meet NBCC requirements.

GoodTherapy.org is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. GoodTherapy.org maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

GoodTherapy.org, 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 #0395.

To receive CE credit hours for an archived event, you will need to complete a survey as well as a 12 or 15-question exam, verifying that you listened to or watched the event in its entirety. Archived CE events generally are considered "homestudy" by licensing boards.

Registration Information

Premium and Pro Membership with GoodTherapy includes access to this web conference at no additional cost, as well as other member benefits such as a profile listing in GoodTherapy's Therapist Directory. Not yet a member? Sign up for a Premium or Pro Membership, here.

Just want CE credits? Sign up for a monthly or annual CE Subscription with GoodTherapy to get unlimited access to our CE Program, including this event, other live CE web conferences, and hundreds of hours of homestudy courses.

Mental health professionals who are not members can access the homestudy recording for $15.50. Sign up here to purchase this CE course and earn a CE certificate.

If the event is canceled by GoodTherapy, registrants who purchased the event will be notified and the charge for the event will be refunded

If you have any questions or would like information regarding disability accommodations, please contact us.

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