Supporting Clients through Grief and Loss, Part 2

DMH UCLA Public Mental Health Partnership

This training will provide an overview of the common experiences felt during grief and loss. What is often referred to as the “stages” of grief will be discussed, as well as research on the “stages” of grief. Various grief trajectories will be presented, including those more likely to be associated with a healthier progression versus those associated with complications in the grieving process. Discussion will emphasize grief and loss during the COVID pandemic, as well as among persons experiencing homelessness. The presentation will highlight “common” reactions to loss, reactions which are more consistent with complicated or unresolved grief, and grieving rituals specific to various ethnic and religious cultures. Approaches to grief therapy will be presented, including those from J. William Worden and Robert Neimeyer, amongst others. Techniques on working with clients’ emotional reactions such as “numbing,” intractable grief, and feeling intensely overwhelmed by loss will also be examined. Helping professionals through vicarious grief will also be addressed. Part 2.