GRIEF COUNSELING AND GRIEF THERAPY

Certificate Program in Funeral Services Education

GRF 325

Breyer State University

Instructor: Richard A. Pessagno, MSN, APRN, BC, CGT
Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist
Certified Group Psychotherapist
Certified Grief Therapist

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to the Certificate program in Funeral Services Education offered by Breyer State University. This course Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy will provide you with basic theory and practical information needed to address the needs of the bereaved in a variety of grief support services roles.

TIME FRAME: This is a six-semester hour course. This course is allotted ten weeks of time. You must complete all of the requirements for the course successfully by the end of the ten-week period. The first day of week one will begin the day that you register for the course, or the day which you notify me that your text book(s) have arrived and you are ready to begin your studies. Please be cognizant of the time frame. It is rare that extensions of time are permitted, unless you have good justification. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded six semester hours of credit.

TEXTBOOKS: There is one (1) required textbook for this course.

Book 1: Helping the Bereaved. By Alicia Skinner Cook and Daniel Dworkin. Basic Books; A Division of Harper Collins Publisher: 1992. ISBN # 0465027172.

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Call and order your books as soon as possible so that you can begin your course of study.

EXAMINATIONS: Examinations are taken online via the Breyer State University website. Once you have registered for this program, you will receive instructions on accessing and taking the examinations. There are two (2) examinations for this course. Each exam is worth 40% of the total grade.

PROJECT: Rent a movie with a grief-related story line, such as Steal Magnolias, Monster’s Ball, Terms of Endearment, Ordinary People or another movie of your choice. Please contact me to get your choice approved. Write a brief paper. Go to the classroom for specific details about this assignment. The course project is worth 20% of the total grade.

GRADING: Examinations are objective type or short answer. The number of questions
per examination varies. The grading scale is:

90-100%    = A
80-89%      = B
70-79%      = C
Below 70% = Fail

COMMUNICATION: Communication for this course is done via email, regular mail, chat room talks, or by telephone. I encourage you to communicate with me as you progress through your course. Regular communication is essential since you are directing the pace of your study.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: Richard A. Pessagno, MSN, APRN, BC, CGT is your instructor. Mr. Pessagno has over eighteen years of professional nursing experience. He was worked in a variety of clinical areas including hospice, oncology, AIDS care and psychiatric nursing. Much of his professional efforts have focused on working in the area of grief and loss. He is a certified psychiatric-mental health clinical nurse specialist, as well as a certified group psychotherapist, Post-masters Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, and a grief therapist.

INSTRUCTOR AVAILABILITY: I am available via email at all times. Telephone contact is available with a scheduled appointment. Please contact me as soon as you have registered for this course, in order that all contact information can be exchanged.

GETTING STARTED: As soon as you receive your textbooks for the course, you may begin your course of study. Below is the program course outline. Be sure to review it as you progress through the course. Once you have registered for the course, I will send you a letter of introduction with more explanations and the course assignments.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1). Introduce the learner to basic principles of grief counseling and grief therapy.
2). Expose the learner to basic techniques that can be used when working with the bereaved.
3). Develop basic knowledge of the normal grief process.
4). Develop an understanding of age appropriate, grief related therapeutic interventions.
5). Develop an understanding of the difference between grief counseling and grief therapy.
6). Expose the learner to research available in the field of grief counseling.
7). Provide theoretical applications of loss and attachment theory to direct care roles in the field of grief counseling and bereavement support services.

COURSE CONTENT:

1). Introduction to grief counseling and grief therapy.
2). Introduction to research based interventions.
3). Theoretical applications of grief and attachment.
4). Exploring models of grief resolution.
5). Basic of assessing grief.
6). The difference between normal grief and complicated grief.
7). The basics of understanding depression vs. grief.
8). Providing grief education and promoting healthy grieving practices.
9). Developing appropriate interventions for grief support services.
10). Working with individuals and groups.
11). Cultural aspects of grief support work.
12). Self-development as a grief support provider.

PREREQUISITE: A high school diploma is required for admission to this course of study.

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