What Will Learn?

This course is part of the Accelerated Doctoral in Grief Counseling program at AITU. The aim of this course is to provide students with a working understanding of the dynamics of “complicated” grief and how to facilitate this process through counseling. Clients with complicated grief may feel that the bereavement process has taken over their lives, gone on unaltered for a long time, and/or led them to feel “stuck in time.” Conversely, complicated grief may present as muted, absent or “blank” reactions to loss. This may actually sustain problematic, emotional dynamics of denial and displacement that can in turn facilitate a host of issues (from depression to addictions). This course will provide you with an understanding of these topics and the skills needed to approach them therapeutically within the context of counseling. It is a 6-hour semester course that should be completed within 6 weeks.