A Therapist’s Loss: Grieving our Clients

About the Course

While mental health professionals receive extensive training in caring for the needs and well-being of our clients, there is often little training provided on managing our own losses in the therapeutic process. Losses in the therapeutic relationship are complicated by many factors such as maintaining confidentiality, inability to connect with others around the loss, compartmentalizing the loss to meet with other clients, and at times, legal concerns. There can be limited guidance and support for therapists when they experience a loss in the counseling process. Managing a client loss and the subsequent grieving process should not go ignored or left for the therapist to handle alone.

This course reviews the losses therapists experience in their professional work, focusing on client loss (e.g., suicide, terminal illness, unexpected deaths). Attendees will be able to recognize their losses, the impact of those losses on self and counseling relationships, and the grieving processes in their counseling relationships. Attendees will be able to establish an effective approach to coping and maintaining professional competence.

1 hour CE. Recorded video format (non-interactive)

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Course Overview

ESTIMATED COURSE LENGTH: 1 hour

CE CREDITS: 1.00 volume continuing education/contact hours for social workers, psychologists, counselors, and marriage and family therapists

TARGET AUDIENCE: Mental Health Practitioners

LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION:  Advanced 

PREREQUISITE(S): None

INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD: Recorded video format (non-interactive)

ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS: Closed captioning of audio components. In order to request further accessibility accommodations, please email support@psychhub.com.

COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS: To obtain your CE certificate, learners must complete a pre-test (not scored), progress through all course segments, complete a participant evaluation, and obtain a score of 80% or higher on a post-test. Learners are expected to complete the quiz within 3 attempts. If unable to do so, the learner will need to re-review the course segments.

FINANCIAL/COMMERCIAL SUPPORT STATEMENT: This course has no commercial support.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:  This course has no potential conflict of interest or outside commercial support. Psych Hub's conflict of interest statement is found in the footer of the training center.

GRIEVANCE AND REFUND POLICIES: Grievance and refund policies are found in the footer of the training center.

PARTICIPATION COSTS:  The cost to participate in this CE activity is included in the subscription registration fee.

COURSE CREATION DATE:12/6/2023

 

 

 

 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Assess effectiveness of current grieving processes of client losses
  • Articulate at least two unique factors to therapists’ grieving processes
  • Describe techniques to integrate the grieving process with personal cultural identities, beliefs, and norms
  • Identify at least three effective strategies to process client loss to care for well-being of self and maintain professional competence in therapeutic relationships

Course Outline

  1. Intro/Presenter Positionality
    1. Audience reflection on their loss and grieving processes
  2. Overview of Loss
    1. General definition of loss, grief, and bereavement
    2. Connection to therapist loss
    1. Provide examples of client loss (e.g., natural, illness, suicide)
  3. Ethical and Legal Responsibility
    1. Competency
    2. Knowing when to take a step back
    3. Client confidentiality
    4. Post-death legal implications
  4. Stigma towards Therapist's Grief
    1. Countertransference
    2. Power difference in client-counselor relationship
    3. Therapist should be the "experts" in managing emotions
  5. Cultural Strategies to Grieving Client Loss
    1. Continuing Bonds Grief Framework
    2. Professional support
    3. Addressing personal loss
    4. Rituals to honor loss(es)
 

CE Information


American Psychological Association (APA)
Psych Hub is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Psych Hub maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Psychologists completing this course receive 1.00 continuing education credits.

Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
Psych Hub, #1750, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/20/2024 – 08/20/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1.00 clinical continuing education credits.

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
Psych Hub is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. Psych Hub maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content. CAMFT Approval #1000074. Course meets the qualifications for 1.00 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
Psych Hub has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7051. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Psych Hub is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Counselors completing this course receive 1.00 continuing education hours.

New York State Education Department - Licensed Mental Health Counselors (NYSED-LMHC)
Psych Hub, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0257. New York State licensed mental health counselors completing this course receive 1.00 contact hours.

New York State Education Department - Marriage & Family Therapists (NYSED-MFT)
Psych Hub, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0109. New York State marriage and family therapists completing this course receive 1.00 contact hours.

New York State Education Department - Psychology (NYSED-PSY)
Psych Hub, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0208. New York State licensed psychologists completing this course receive 1.00 contact hours.

New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work (NYSED-SW)
Psych Hub, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0699. New York State social workers completing this course receive 1.00 contact hours.

Experts


Jillian M. Blueford, PhD, LPC
Dr. Jillian Blueford earned a BS in Psychology from the University of Central Florida, a MA in Counseling from Rollins College, and a PhD in counselor education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her clinical professional background includes working in a variety of settings such as a hospice bereavement center, a psychiatric behavioral hospital, as an independent counselor for the Tennessee Department of Children Services, and finally as a professional counselor for an UT outreach program for college students from rural Appalachian areas. She is a member of several program associations, including the American Counseling Association, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, American School Counseling Association, and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her research focuses on professional counselor competency in grief counseling and developing systemic grief models for professional counselors.