Loss is a universal human experience, yet we have a tendency to only acknowledge losses due to death as worthy of therapeutic attention. This webinar starts with a unique premise: all of life is about loss and therefore it is imperative for social workers to be skilled at identifying less recognizable losses as well as more common ones. Social workers must be adept at helping people process the meaning of that loss in their life. This webinar will cover losses at each stage of human development, looking at normative losses as well as those that are often not recognized or not discussed due to stigma and community values and standards. We will consider the differences among grief, mourning, bereavement, and depression and explore treatment techniques and strategies. *This webinar is a replacement for End-of-Life Issues.
At the conclusion of this webinar, attendees will be able to:
- Discuss the concepts of loss and grief in the context of culture, cohort, gender, and life experience
- Describe the evolution of grief theory: Freudian theory, stage vs. task theories, meaning-making, narrative creation, and continuing bonds
- Name four types of loss and our responses to them – ambiguous loss, disenfranchised loss, simple and complicated grief
- Apply the mediators of mourning to understand the effects of loss
- Distinguish bereavement and mourning from depression
- State clinical strategies for working with bereaved individuals and their families
10:00 am Welcome/Introductions/Ground Rules
10:15 am Definitions of the concept of loss; group exercise
10:30 am The evolution of grief history
10:45 am Understanding loss in a cultural context; video: "Why African-American seniors are less likely to use hospice"
11:00 am Understanding different types of loss and bereavement
11:30 am Social and cultural factors affecting a person's experience of loss and resulting responses
12:00 pm Bereavement, mourning and depression as codified in the DSM-5
12:15 pm Clinical strategies to work with individuals; group work, psychoeducation
12:30 pm Case discussions
1:00 pm Conclusion/Q&A