COURSE INFORMATION
This course is an advanced CE course that provides students with a comprehensive learning and training experience in the developing of grief support groups. The course is based on two texts which provides comprehensive materials that will guide students in the overall process and development of highly effective grief support groups. Students entering this course should already have a solid foundation of knowledge in grief and bereavement before beginning this study. The course covers everything from early development of a support group all the way through final evaluation of group effectiveness. Students will examine each key component of support group creation and process implementation. Early preparations are reviewed as well as selection criteria for group members. Types of support groups are examined. The role of the facilitator(s) is clearly defined and expanded upon. Of particular benefit, this course assists students in identifying effective ways to work with multiple issues and dynamics that may arise in the course of grief support group work. Various types of group structures and specific focused groups are examined. Dealing with controversial topics that may arise are also examined. Students will also explore the use of journaling and journaling exercises that may be used with grief support groups as well as incorporating memories of the deceased in their work with group participants. Students will also study a core structure and process of a week-by-week actual grief support group in order to better internalize and operationalize the overall development and functions of a grief support group. This course is specifically designed for those students in the Certification program in Grief Support Group Counseling, although others who are interested may also take the course. This is an advanced level course in Grief Counseling. There are two required textbooks. Students will also be provided with videos in the online classroom for viewing.
Course Code: GC 700. Contact hours of education = 40.
Instructor/Course Author: Dominick L. Flarey, Ph.D, MBA, RN,BC, GC-C
Link to Resume
TEXTBOOK: There is two (2) required textbooks for this course.
Setting Up and Facilitating Bereavement Support Groups: A Practical Guide, 1st edition. Dodie Graves. Jessica Kingsley Publishers; August 15, 2012: ISBN-10 : 1849052719 ISBN-13 : 978-1849052719
Link to Purchase on Amazon.com: click here
Bereavement Support Groups: Breathing Life Into Stories of the Dead. Lorraine Hedtke. The Taos Institute Publications; March 9, 2012: ISBN-10 : 0984865616 ISBN-13 : 978-0984865611
Link to Purchase on Amazon.com: click here
TIME FRAME: You are allotted two years from the date of enrollment, to complete all of the four (4) courses in the Grief Support Group Certified Specialist continuing education program. There are no set time-frames, other than the two year allotted time. If you do not complete the courses 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 courses 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 40 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 the American Academy of Grief Counseling and options for completing additional course work to achieve a passing score, will be presented.
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.
AIHCP is an approved provider of continuing education by the American Institute of Health Care Professionals (The Provider) is approved by the California Board of Registered Nurses, Provider number # CEP 15595 for 40 Contact Hours. Access information
This course, which is approved by the Florida State Board Of Nursing (CE Provider # 50-11975) also has the following Board of Nursing Approvals, for 40 contact hours of CE
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 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. Identify and discuss key considerations necessary before starting a grief support group
2. Identify advantages and disadvantages to an organization for a grief support group
3. Identify advantages and disadvantages to participants in a grief support group
4. Discuss the aims of a grief support group
5. Identify and discuss the various types of grief support groups
6. Discussion establishing selection criteria for members of a grief support group
7. Discuss homogeneous or mixed types of death in a grief support group
8. Understand and discuss evidence-based outcomes related to support group work
9. Identify and discuss key issues related to running a grief support group
10. Understand and discuss the role of the group facilitator
11. Compare and contrast lead-facilitation and co-facilitation
12. Describe different ways of joint facilitating
13. Define and discuss listening skills needed to effectively facilitate a support group
14. Identify and discuss core management skills for support group facilitators
15. Understand key concepts related to record keeping related to support group work
16. Review and discuss Case Studies related to closed groups with no fixed agendas and closed groups with structured content
17. Review and discuss Case Studies related to an open support group
18. Describe and discuss other types of group structures used in grief support group settings; social groups, special focus groups, walking groups, creative groups
19. Understand and discuss managing dynamics in the group
20. Discuss how to effectively deal with overbearing or dominating behaviors in a group
21. Discuss how to deal with silence in a group
22. Discuss how to deal with tearful, distressed and emotional behaviors in a group setting
23. Discuss how to deal with conflict between participants
24. Discuss how to deal with relationships that emerge within the support group
25. Discuss how to deal with people diverting the focus of the group
26. Discuss sacrificing the group for the sake of one participant
27. Discuss dealing with controversial subject matter within the support group
28. Understand and discuss the issue of informed consent for group participation
29. Discuss the use of journaling exercises with a grief support group
30. Understand the use of subjunctive verbs in remembering conversations with the deceased
31. Review the impact of subjunctive questions when working with grief support groups
32. Discuss effective ways to confront challenges faced in grief support group work
33. Identify ways to evaluate the group support group process
34. Review and evaluate a structured week by week grief support group process
35. Evaluate the effectiveness of brining memories of the deceased into the group process work
COURSE CONTENT:
A brief abstract of content:
- Setting up a bereavement support group
- Considerations before starting a grief support group
- Advantages and disadvantages of grief support groups
- Types of support groups
- Screening and selection criteria for group membership
- Homogeneous or mixed types of death or relationships
- Evaluation of evidence based outcomes
- Key considerations in running a support group
- What makes a good facilitator and co-facilitator
- The role of the facilitator
- Lead facilitation and co-facilitation
- Various ways of joint facilitating
- Types of listening skills
- Group management skills
- Record keeping of group sessions
- Open and Closed support groups
- Case studies of various types of groups
- Group ground rules
- Social support groups
- Special focus support groups
- Walking support groups
- Online support groups
- Creative support groups
- Managing dynamics in a grief support group
- Participants diverting the focus of the group
- Familiarity and overstepping of boundaries
- Participants being upset by the facilitator
- Providing a safe place
- Moods of the group
- Controversial subject matters that may arise in a group
- Problems about conventional grief psychology
- The pathologizing of grief
- Journaling and journaling exercises
- The effect of group conversations
- Subjunctive verbs in remembering conversations
- The impact of subjunctive questions
- The effect of journaling exercises
- Confronting challenges
- Evaluating the group process
- Structured week by week group process for grief support
- Bringing memories of the deceased into the group support process