COURSE INFORMATION

Welcome to the online CE course; “Bereavement Groups and Social Support in Grief Therapy.”

Grounded in contemporary empirical research, this course gives grief clinicians practical techniques for using bereavement groups and social support as a means of grief therapy. The course weaves together theory, research and practice in order to help the clinician develop effective group content, identify training techniques for effective group leadership, meet challenges in support groups, deal with various age levels, and manage complicated grief situations.

Course Code: GC 689.

Contact hours of continuing education = 35.

Instructor/Course Author: Dr. Rosemary A. Castelli

Link to Resume: click here

Email:dr.rosemarycastelli@gmail.com

TEXTBOOKS: There is one (1) required textbook for this course.

Bereavement Groups and the Role of Social Support: Integrating Theory, Research, and Practice 1st Edition, William G. Hoy,

Routledge; 1st edition (2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1138916890
ISBN-10: 1138916897

Link to Purchase on Amazon.com: click here

TIME FRAME: You are allotted two years from the date of enrollment, to complete this course. There are no set time-frames, other than the two year allotted time. If you do not complete the course within the two-year time-frame, you will be removed from the course and an “incomplete” will be recorded for you in our records. Also, if you would like to complete the course after this two-year expiration time, you would need to register and pay the course tuition fee again.

GRADING: You must achieve a passing score of at least 70% to complete this course and receive the 35 hours of awarded continuing education credit. There are no letter grades assigned. You will receive notice of your total % score. Those who score below the minimum of 70% will be contacted by AIHCP and will be permitted one more attempt to retake the online examination.

BOARD APPROVALS:

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is an Approved Provider for Continuing Education by the South Carolina Professional Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapists and Psycho-Educational Specialists licensing board, Provider # 4637.  Access information

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals (The Provider) is approved by the California Board of Registered Nurses, Provider number # CEP 15595 for 35 Contact Hours.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc. is an Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Florida State Board of Nursing  Provider # 50-11975.

OTHER STATE BOARDS OF NURSING

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Arkansas Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Georgia Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the South Carolina Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Professional Registered Nurses. CE Provider # 50-11975.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Kentucky Board of Nursing CE Provider # 50-11975.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the New Mexico Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.

Course Refund & AIHCP Policies: access here

ONLINE CLASSROOM RESOURCES AND TOOLS

• Examination Access: there is link to take you right to the online examination program where you can print out your examination and work with it. All examinations are formatted as “open book” tests. When you are ready, you can access the exam program at anytime and click in your responses to the questions. Full information is provided in the online classrooms.
• Student Resource Center: there is a link for access to a web page “Student Resource Center.” The Resource Center provides for easy access to all of our policies/procedures and additional information regarding applying for certification. We also have many links to many outside reference sites, such as online libraries that you may freely access.
• Online Evaluation: there is a link in the classroom where you may access the course evaluation. All students completing a course, must, without exception, complete the course evaluation.
• Faculty Access Information: you will have access to your instructor’s online resume/biography, as well as your instructor’s specific contact information.
• Additional Learning Materials: some faculty have prepared additional “readings” and /or brief lecture notes to enhance your experience. All of these are available in the online classrooms.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Articulate what makes a support book effective.
2. Evaluate whether grief support groups make a significant difference in the outcomes of the bereaved.
3. Provide an overview of bereavement research/studies and their application to social support.
4. Explore the literature and thinking on the efficacy of social support.
5. Delineate the methods for recruiting, training and supporting group leaders.
6. Develop effective meeting content for bereavement groups.
7. Evaluate the use of guided discussion, writing and the creative arts in bereavement groups.
8. Identify practical ideas for managing problematic group behavior.
9. Articulate and evaluate the distinct needs of children and teens for social support.
10. Identify complicated grief situations.
11. Evaluate approaches to dealing with complicated grief within grief groups.
12. Identify and evaluate the challenges to successful groups.
13. Review the models that describe the process of adapting to loss.
14. Evaluate the argument that grief interventions don’t work.
15. Delineate how bereavement groups differ from other therapeutic groups.
16. Survey the large body of studies validating the role of social support in grief work.
17. Identify the ethical challenges of bereavement counseling.
18. Identify and evaluate the criteria for recruiting and training group leaders.
19. Define the qualifications of bereavement support group leaders.
20. Delineate the basic bereavement basics for leadership training.
21. Define the vital role of supervision and apprenticeships in developing effective group leaders.
22. Demonstrate how to format a good bereavement support group.
23. Determine the best ways to launch a bereavement group.
24. Articulate ground rules for a successful meeting.
25. Distinguish between interactive grief styles and instrumental grief styles.
26. Evaluate the effectiveness of online support groups.
27. Identify negative challenges that may arise in support groups.
28. Analyze the effectiveness of bereavement support groups with children and teens.
29. Evaluate the activities that best engage grieving children and teens.
30. Evaluate the role of support groups with people in complicated grief.

COURSE CONTENT:

A brief abstract of content:

1. Review of major grief theories.
2. Models for describing the process of adapting to loss.
3. The role of culture in understanding grief.
4. Social groups and the support of the bereaved.
5. Research review of the effectiveness of bereavement groups.
6. Recruiting and training effective group leadership
7. Qualifications of an effective leader.
8. Bereavement basics for leader training.
9. The role of supervision and apprenticeship in training leaders.
10. Developing content for adult groups.
11. Effective group activities.
12. Meeting challenges in support groups.
13. Confidentiality and privacy.
14. Supporting children and teens through grief groups.
15. Dealing with complicated grief in the support group.