Expanding Expertise through Grief Therapy Training

This March, therapists and counselors will have the opportunity to expand their expertise and grow their clientele with Grief Therapy for Couples and Families. The course is facilitated by registered psychotherapist Lisa Woolgar, a mental health professional with more than 15 years of experience in the field.

Grief is often part of the story for those working with couples and families who are seeking support, as well as those whose dreams, expectations, and needs have not been met in their relationships. Grief therapy creates the time and space for people to turn inward and articulate what they are feeling due to the loss they have gone through.

“People often don’t understand that the grief they are feeling is a natural process necessary for healing; they often feel there is something wrong with them for feeling the way they do,” says Woolgar. “Grief therapy helps individuals, couples, and families understand their different grief responses, and how to best support their loved ones.”

Without access to grief therapy, people who are grieving a significant loss tend to keep it to themselves and suffer alone out of fear or burdening others, lack of support, or the wrong kind of support. The essence of grief therapy for couples and families is improving their ability to recognize and support each other’s grief, as well as their own.

“Because grief expresses itself primarily non-verbally as a deeply vulnerable felt experience in our bodies, one of the most effective ways to support someone in coming to terms with their loss is to help them develop the ability to recognize, name, and tolerate what they are feeling emotionally and physically, rather than trying to avoid or distract themselves from it,” says Woolgar. “This approach not only validates their experience, it also helps them to identify what kind of support they might need from their close relationships to help them navigate through this natural process.”

While most grief-focused courses, training, research, and books focus on an individual’s experience with grief, this course focuses specifically on working with couples and families, creating a unique learning opportunity for those looking to enhance their practical skills.

Grief Therapy for Couples and Families begins March 1, 2021 and will be delivered remotely.