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GC 675 Research & Clinical Practice in Grief Counseling Syllabus

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Printable Copy of The ExamAccess Online ExamCourse Evaluation Form

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to the online CE course; “Research & Clinical Practice in Grief Counseling.”

This is a comprehensive CE course that describes, explains and evaluates the most current research in the areas of grief theory, bereavement and specialized grief therapy modalities. Analyzing the major themes in the literature on these topics,, the course provides the practitioner with a concrete connection between research and practice through the use of case studies, descriptive analysis of evidence based treatment plans, and comparative analysis of approaches to age, gender and cultural groups.  You will read the analyses of these topics by the leaders in the field of thanatology and grief therapy, including Robert Niemeyer, Colin Murray Parks, William Worden, Kenneth Doka, John Shep Jeffreys and many more. Among the topics described and applied are meaning reconstruction in the grieving process; new interpretations of attachment and coping theories; the two track model of bereavement; task based approaches to bereavement; and contextual issues that arise when dealing with grief.

The course presupposes and builds on your knowledge gained in previous courses in grief counseling. This comprehensive course provides the student with

Pre-requisite to course enrollment: You must be currently certified as a Grief Counselor by the American Academy of Grief Counseling to enroll into this course. This course is a required course in the curriculum for the Grief Support Practitioner Certification Program.

Upon successful completion of this course, students are awarded 60 contact hours of continuing education creditsCourse Code: GC 675.

Course Refund & AIHCP Policies: access here

A graveyard in the back of a church

This Course is Board approved. TThe 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.
he American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc. is an Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Florida State Board of Nursing and the District of Columbia Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
The American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc. is a licensed Continuing Education Provider in the State of California, Board of Registered Nursing, Provider # CEP 15595. Access Info

Instructor/Course Author: Dr. Rosemary A. Castelli

Link to Resumeclick here

Email: lastingremembrances@gmail.com

This is a guided, independent study CE Course. You are to study and progress at your own rate. There are no written assignments. It is recommended that you follow this process for completion of the course :

1. Order your textbook for the course. Information and a link to order the book online are presented below.

2. Review the course objectives.

3. You are required to read/review all chapters in the assigned textbook, unless otherwise indicated by your instructor in this syllabus. As you read/review each chapter, you may want to stop and identify the corresponding questions on the exam related to the material of that chapter, and answer the questions on your printed out copy of the examination. You can obtain a printed copy of your examination simply by clicking on the link at the top of this syllabus “Printable Copy of The Exam.” This will allow you to work with your exam as you study the text book (s) and progress through your course. Then, when you have completed your examination using the printable copy, you will be ready to transfer your responses into the computer based examination program for final submission and grading. You can proceed doing this with each chapter, until you have completed your study of the textbook. Please read/review each chapter in sequence. Do not “skip” ahead, as each chapter builds upon the materials in the previous chapter.

4. Once you have completed all of the chapters in the textbook, you can proceed to your final online examination by clicking the “Access Online Exam” link below the course banner at the top of this syllabus. You can also download the exam as a PDF file by clicking on the “Printable Copy of The Exam” link next to Access Online Exam. If you wish you can print this file out as a printed off copy of your examination. Once you access the online exam you will see a screen that will ask you to input your Name, E-mail address, and your student ID/AH Number (AH####). Please fill out all of the requested information accurately. If you do not, we will not be able to identify who took the exam and your answers will be lost. The following slide will welcome you to your exam and present the introduction slide with further instructions on how to take the exam. Answer the questions to the best of your ability. There is only ONE correct response for each question.

5. When you have answered the final question, it will ask you to submit your answers. It will then show you your grade for the exam, and if you passed the exam it will allow you to review your answers. If you passed, the close button in the bottom right hand corner will take you to the course evaluation form. At which time, please fill out an evaluation so your grade can be processed. Once received, we will send you an e-mailed copy of your exam with the correct and incorrect answers.

5a. If you did not pass your examination, you will receive a notification stating failed. You will not receive any feedback on your answers. Please press the close button on the bottom right hand corner to exit your exam. At which point, contact the Assistant Executive Director @ Mark@aihcp.org,  for a chance to retake the exam. If you fail on your second attempt, you will fail the course and have to pay to retake it.

6. If you have successfully completed the examination with a passing score, we will process your CE Certificate, which will include the course title, the awarded contact hours of continuing education, and the date of completion. Your CE certificate will be e-mailed to you as a PDF file. You can expect to receive your certificate (via e-mailed PDF file) within 2-3 business days upon receipt of the completed evaluation form. No CE Course Certificate will be processed without a completed course evaluation. If you missed the course evaluation link after the exam, you can alternatively click the “Course Evaluation Form” at the top of this syllabus. Please note that the Organizations and the licensing Boards that provide our CE approvals all require that a course evaluation be completed by the course participant before a CE Course Certificate may be awarded; as such there are no exceptions. A course evaluation must be completed in order to receive your CE Course Certificate.

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.

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

Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice (Series in Death, Dying and Bereavement). Editors: Robert Neimeyer, Darcy Harris, Howard Winokuer, Gordon Thornton.  New York: Routledge, 2011  ISBN-10: 045884810    ISBN-13: 978-0415884815

Link to Purchase on Amazon.com: click here

GRADING: You must achieve a passing score of at least 70% to complete this course and receive the 60 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.

FINAL EXAMINATION: It is recommended that you click on the “Printable Copy of Exam” near the top of the syllabus. It will download as a PDF file. Below are detailed instructions on how to take your exam.

1). When ready to start your final examination for the course, please click on the “Access Online Exam” link near the top of the syllabus.

2). You will be prompted to input your Name, E-mail Address, and Student ID # (AH####). You must fill this out, the exam will not allow you to proceed if you do not. It is very important that you use your full name, your valid e-mail address and your student ID/AH Number. If you do not input your correct information, we will have no way of identifying your exam and it will be deleted! All unidentifiable exams are deleted!

3). Next you will be taken to the introduction screen for your exam. There will be detailed instructions on how to take the online exam. Please review them and when ready click the “Continue” button on the bottom right hand side of the screen to begin your exam.

4). When you have answered all of the questions and are happy with your answers, the exam will prompt you to either “SUBMIT ALL” or “RETURN TO EXAM”. If you are ready press “SUBMIT ALL”.

5). If you received a passing score, you will receive a “Congratulations, you passed” screen with a green check mark. You will have a chance to review your questions and answers. A copy of your exam will be e-mailed to you within 1-2 business days.

5a). If you failed the exam, you will receive a “You did not pass” with a red X. You will have no chance to review your questions and answers. At this point, please contact Administration, Mark D. Moran, Assistant Executive Director for instructions on re-taking the online examination. You may retake the online examination one time. You will receive full instructions regarding the re-take of the examination.

6). After receiving a passing score, click the “CLOSE” button in the bottom right hand corner to close out of the exam and be redirected to the course evaluation form. You must fill out the course evaluation form in order for your grade to be processed and for you to receive an CE certification.

Note: all of our Examinations are Copy Written

COURSE EVALUATION: upon submitting your responses to the examination questions, you are required to complete the online Course Evaluation Form.  This will take you directly to the online evaluation form. Complete the evaluation and be sure to click the “submit” button. CE certificates will not be sent unless a course evaluation is completed.

COMMUNICATION: this is a self-directed, independent study course. However, you may certainly submit to us questions or comments regarding the course materials. We will be sure to forward any questions you may have to the author of the course. You will then receive a follow-up response from the author. All of our course authors are fully educated and credentialed in the practice of Grief Counseling. You may email any questions to: info@aihcp.org. Please be sure to include the full title of the course you are in, as well as the course code (provided above). If you have any questions at all or need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT CENTER: Our Technical Support Center is open Monday-Friday; 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (EST).  You may e-mail technical support at: admn@aihcp.org   You may also phone us at: 330-652-7776. If you leave an e-mail after normal business hours, the Support Center will respond to you as soon as they open up the next business day.

INTERACTIVE STUDENT FACEBOOK GROUP
Please join the Interactive Facebook Group for Grief Counseling!

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We host a private (students only) Facebook page for Grief Counseling. This page is dedicated for private use by all students in our Grief Counseling courses. We highly encourage all of our students to “join” this private group. The group is used for:

  • Providing interactions between all students in the Grief Counseling education program.
  • All members may post on the page as well as download documents and photos.
  • Interactions between students and faculty.
  • Meeting new colleagues/friends who have the same interests in Grief Counseling.
  • Providing a medium for Chat sessions among members of the group.
  • Providing new information to all student on an ongoing basis via posts in the room.
  • Stimulating discussions related to Grief Counseling and other professional issues/topics.
  • Sharing articles, links to recommended websites, links to videos as well as links to events and other education resources.
  • Our staff provides up to date articles for your review. Articles are added almost on a daily basis. Reviewing the information is voluntary but highly recommended.

Joining the private Facebook group is voluntary. We do highly encourage you to join and participate. Your participation will enhance your learning and provide a platform for networking with your colleagues. Join the group today! You must ask for permission to join this group. Our staff will receive your permission notice and will verify your student status and then authorize your membership to the group page.

Important Information: You must have a Facebook account to join this group. If you have a Facebook account, just click on the link below and you will be taken to the Facebook sign in page. You would then log into your account. You will be on th Grief Counseling private group page. Once you have clicked on the link, a notice will be sent to our administrative office and you will be authorized to the page. On your Facebook page, the group page will be listed on the left hand side of your page. You can click it at any time and enter the private page. If you do not have a Facebook account, it is easy to open one. The link below will take you to the sign in page and you can click on the link to open an account. Facebook accounts are free.

Click here to access the Grief Counseling Private Facebook page

Click here to Join the Grief Counseling Public Face Book Page

AIHCP BLOG: Please visit our interactive web blog. Students and certified members are encouraged to visit our blog frequently. You will find useful articles, news, posts and much more related to the specialty area of Certification you are pursuing. Click the link above to access the blog. Then, click on the link on the right hand side that corresponds to the subject area you are studying. Feel free to posts replies, comments and news. Register to become active on the blog and contribute your own unique information for all to see and share. Sharing and interacting with your peers is an excellent learning process. By sharing you contribute to the ever growing body of knowledge in your specialty area.

STUDENT RESOURCE CENTER: Please access our student resource center. The Resource Center contains all of our current policies, as well as important information regarding classroom and examination accesses. Also included are trouble-shooting tips when a student has any difficulties with classroom or examination accesses. The Resource Center also provides other information regarding our continuing education and certification programs. Access to online libraries is also provided. To Access the Student Resource Center: click here.

Discussion Boards:  Please access the Discussion Boards by clicking on the Tab on the left side of your computer screen. The Discussion Boards are provided for our students as means to communicate with others taking courses in our Grief Counseling Courses and Programs.  You have full access to the Discussion Boards throughout the time you are enrolled in a course. They are a great means to meet others who are studying Grief Counseling, exchange ideas, post questions and ideas, provide responses to other’s questions, provide links to outside resources and more.  Once you access the Discussion Boards, simply follow the instructions to create your own account and start reading and posting.

E-Learning Library: Please access our E-Learning Library by clicking on the Tab on the left side of your computer screen. The E-Learning Library is a free service for all of our students. It is an ever-growing library of FREE E-Books that you may access at any time. The books are produced by us professionally on a wide array of health care related topics. You may read and or download them for later references. We frequently add new E-Books to the library on an on-going basis. The E-Books are not related to this course and so are not required readings for this course.

Malpractice Insurance: Many are interested in seeking out companies that provide health care professional malpractice insurance. We have compiled a list of companies that you may contact directly regarding this. Most companies will provide you with a quote online. For information, click here.

Submit a Testimonial: Students and certified members may submit a testimonial to our public Testimonials Page. Visitors to our website, especially those considering our certification programs, are keenly interested in hearing about the experiences of health care professionals who are enrolled in our programs. To submit a Testimonial, simply access the online Form: Access Here. You may also preview our current Testimonials Page Here.

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

1. Review and describe the historical landscape of loss.

2. Interpret and analyze current conceptions of the grief response.

3. Analyze and assess meaning reconstruction in bereavement.

4.Connect the principles of meaning reconstruction with its practical application to grievers.

5. Analyze and assess contemporary interpretations of attachment and coping theory.

6. Relate both the theoretical and clinical implications for providing therapeutic services to those bereaved individuals who are insecurely attached.

7. Apply an attachment theory perspective to the concept of “continuing bonds” in bereavement.

8. Define, interpret and apply the Two Track Model of Bereavement.

9. Assess and apply task based approaches to counseling the bereaved.

10. Identify the impact of gender and socialization on grieving styles.

11. Define and explain varying grieving styles.

12. Explain spousal grief in later life.

13. Identify and analyze parenting challenges after the death of a child.

14. Describe bereavement characteristics in children after the death of a sibling.

15. Relate an agency based service program for bereaved children and families.

16. Explain the characteristics of the Family Bereavement Program (FBP).

17. Review current approaches to treating complicated grief.

18.Define the meaning of ambiguous loss and chronic sorrow.

19.Describe and analyze the clinical implications and recommendations for working with those who have ambiguous loss and chronic sorrow.

20. Clarify the disruptive effects of violent killing on the narrative processing of grief.

21. Relate the characteristics of bereavement after disasters.

22. Describe and analyze the research and clinical interventions for dealing with disaster bereavement.

23. Describe and analyze the grief experience of victims of terrorism.

24. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between terrorist grief and other forms of traumatic grief.

25. Summarize the research on bereavement after suicide and how it differs from other bereavement patterns after a death.

26. Identify and understand the concept of “nonfinite loss.”

27. Explain how the “coming out” process for GLBT youth is both a literal and symbolic grieving process.

28. Explain the effects of traumatic death in the U.S. military.

29. Relate the salient features of Family Therapy for the bereaved.

30. Explore the value of the expressive arts therapy in grief resolution.

31. Evaluate the value and effectiveness of bereavement rituals.

32. Relate the value of creating a “legacy of the loved one.”

33. Describe and evaluate the Hospice Model of bereavement care.

34. Explore the roles of culture and ethnicity in understanding bereavement patterns.

35. Evaluate the role of religion and spirituality in adjusting to bereavement.

36. Explore how the internet is affecting how the bereaved are dealing with grief.

37. Explore and analyze the ethical and grief dimensions associated with end of life decisions.

COURSE CONTENT:

A brief abstract of content:

CONTEMPORARY CONCEPTUALIZATIONS AND TYPES OF GRIEF AND BEREAVEMENT:

1. Meaning Reconstruction

2. Attachment and Coping Theory

3. Changing Bond Theory

4.The Two Track Model of Bereavement

5. Task Based Approaches to Bereavement

6.  The Influence of Gender and Socialization on Grieving Styles

7.  Spousal Bereavement

8. The Death of a Child and Parental Challenges

9.  Sibling Death

10. Approaches to Complicated Grief

11. Ambiguous Loss and Chronic Sorrow

12. Concepts in Violent Death, Natural Disasters, and Terrorism

13. Suicide Bereavement

14. Non-finite Loss

15.Grief and Loss in Specific Populations, i.e.  GLBT, Military and Pet Loss Groups

SPECIALIZED THERAPEUTIC MODALITIES FOR DEALING WITH DEATH, LOSS AND GRIEF:

1. Family Therapy

2. Grief Therapy and the Expressive Arts.

3. The Role of Ritual in Bereavement.

4. The Hospice Model of Bereavement Care.

5. Dealing with Cultural and Ethnic Differences in Grief.

6. The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Dealing with Grief.

7. Ethical Dimensions Connected with Dying and Grief.

8. Building Bridges Between Research and Practice.