Thursday Course Descriptions

Grief Following Trauma

Speaker(s): Nancy Crump Rikli

Time: Thursday, July 12 and Friday, July 13 from 9am to 5:30pm

Length: 2 FULL days

In the course of nearly everyone’s life, they will, at some time, encounter people grieving the loss of a loved one from a traumatic event. This course is designed to help both professional and lay people identify characteristics of trauma and traumatic events, the normalcy of traumatic grief reactions, learn good death notification and body identification techniques, become skilled at identifying warning signs of complications, and learn the importance of early interventions and support utilizing the SAFER-R model. Participants will increase their knowledge of how trauma impacts the grief process and will gain skills for evaluating and supporting persons who have experienced traumatic loss. Upon completion, participants will be able to: Identify types of traumatic events and the characteristics of trauma and grief; Describe normal responses to trauma and normal grief responses; Describe factors that may complicate the traumatic grief process; Learn practical and effective methods of death notification and preparation for body identification; Identify the primary needs of people experiencing grief following trauma; and Outline techniques for supporting people grieving a trauma and for self-care.

(14 Contact Hours; 14 CE Credits for Psychologists; 14 CE Hours for Calif. MFTs & LCSWs; 14 Contact Hours for National Certified Addiction Counselors OR 1.4 General CEUs from UMBC)(Pending Approval:14 PDHs for EAPs; Completion of "Grief Following Trauma" class and receipt of a certificate indicating full attendance (14 Contact Hours) qualifies as a class in ICISF’s Certificate of Specialized Training Program.

Day 1:(8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)

• Characteristics of Trauma
• Clinical implications of grief
• Personal loss and trauma history
• Elements of traumatic grief
• SAFER-R
• Avoidance Phase
• Death notification
• Body Identification
• Self check & debrief

Day 2:(8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)

• Confrontation phase
• Primary needs of victims
• Accommodation phase
• Grief continuum
• Techniques for supporting people grieving after trauma
• Self care

Objectives: By the end of the course the participant will be able to:

• Identify types of traumatic events and the characteristics of trauma and grief.
• Identify normal and pathological grief responses.
• Describe factors that may help or hinder the traumatic grief process.
• Perform essential skills for assisting grieving people including: death notification, preparing people for body identification, and effective support services.
• Apply a practical application of the SAFER model to Rando’s theory of the grief process.
• Review techniques for supporting grieving people and identify resources for linking them to continued care.
• Complete a personal loss and trauma history and develop a personal self-care plan.

Course Participants:
This course is designed for caregivers who work with people who experience grief and loss following a traumatic event.

Prerequisites:None

Course Format:
This two-day course will consist of 14 hours of teaching hours. The instructor will utilize an interactive method of instruction that will utilize a participant manual, multimedia presentation, video, role-plays, skill building exercises, case studies, discussion and practical exercises to achieve the course objectives. Post-course assignments will also need to be completed to receive a certificate of completion. The course is designed for 15 to 30 participants

Daily Schedule:
Day 1: (9:00 a.m. –5:30 p.m.) Day 2: (9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)

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