Grief occurs after the death of someone we love, and it is also manifest in the midst of losses that may not be as obvious or easily described. Clients come to us while dealing with issues such as dementia, infertility, family estrangement or divorce. These are living losses—the loss experiences and their accompanying ambiguity that we must learn to live with as we continue with our lives. Some living losses are readily apparent, such as the loss of functionality, loss of roles, or the absence of loved ones through other means than death. Other losses may not be so obvious, such as the loss of our hopes and dreams, our innocence, our beliefs, or our vision of how we thought life should or would be. Utilizing case studies and examples, we will identify the unique features and implications of many types of non-death losses.

A framework for supporting patients and families who experience chronic sorrow, nonfinite loss, and ambiguous loss will be presented, emphasizing clinical applications and practice.

Supported by the Lauri S. Bauer Foundation for Sudden Loss.

Register today for this online session hosted on Zoom.

Speaker: Darcy L. Harris, R.N., R.S.W., M.Ed. (Couns.), Ph.D., FT, is an internationally recognized speaker and author. She is a Professor of Thanatology at King’s University College/ Western University in London, Canada, where she also maintains a private clinical practice specializing in issues related to change, loss, and transition. She is also a faculty member of the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, dedicated to training in grief therapy leading toward Certification in Meaning Reconstruction in Loss.

She currently serves on the board of directors for the International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement and was on the board of directors for the Association for Death Education and Counseling.

She is the series co-editor for Routledge Publishing Company’s Death, Dying, and Bereavement Series. In addition to numerous journal articles and book chapters, her books include Counting our Losses: Reflecting on Change, Loss, and Transition in Everyday Life, Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice, Principles and Practice of Grief Counseling, The Handbook of Social Justice in Loss and Grief: Exploring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Non-Death Loss and Grief: Context and Clinical Implications, and Compassion-Based Approaches to Loss and Grief.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of the session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the construct of the assumptive world as it relates to grief.
2. Define and describe nonfinite loss, ambiguous loss, tangible/intangible loss, and chronic sorrow.
3. Use a template to identify various types of losses and their implications.
4. Describe the unique features of non-death losses compared to losses that occur due to death.

Register today

Cost: $60 includes 3.0 CEU’s for social workers, psychologists, and counselors.