Dr. Alan Wolfelt is a noted author, educator and grief counselor. Recipient of the Association for Death Education and Counseling’s Death Educator Award, he serves as Director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition in Fort Collins, Colorado and is on the faculty at the University of Colorado Medical School in the Department of Family Medicine. Among his books are Healing Your Grieving Heart: 100 Practical Ideas, The Journey Through Grief: Reflections on Healing, Healing the Bereaved Child, Creating Meaningful Funeral Ceremonies and Understanding Grief: Helping Yourself Heal. Alan is also a contributing editor to Bereaved magazine and writes for numerous journals. A note from Dr. Wolfelt on "Companioning the Bereaved".
Tuition
Tuition for each of these intensive seminars is $750.00 (Canadian). Because space is limited, a non-refundable $250.00 (Canadian) deposit is required per seminar. The tuition balance is due four weeks before the seminar. Register early, space is limited! Make cheques payable to COPING Centre.
Seminar Descriptions:
Understanding and Responding to Complicated Grief
- Sept. 18-20, 2007
This seminar is appropriate for both counselors and
educators. Together we will explore important topics such as:
sudden, violent death
suicide survivorship
multiple loss and bereavement overload
special features of disenfranchised grief
the semantic distinction between "complicated" and
"pathological" mourning
comprehensive understanding of "complicated mourning"
assessment model for "complicated mourning"
understand the distinction between counseling and
therapy
This three-day intensive seminar evolved out of a need
expressed by people working with the bereaved: many have
never had the opportunity to participate in a comprehensive
yet practical counseling skills training program. We think this
kind of training is a must for those working to “companion”
people in their unique life and death journeys. Topics we will
concentrate on include:
development of the counseling relationship
characteristics distinguishing effective from ineffective
counselors
counseling techniques and practice
understanding the counseling process
creating a personal theory of counseling
issues and trends in counseling the bereaved
Graduates of this seminar will be able to integrate theory,
research and practice in meaningful ways. You’ll return home
with many newly learned and practiced counseling skills.
Comprehensive Bereavement Skills Training - Sept. 16-18, 2008
This three-day intensive seminar explores a wide range of topics related to bereavement care giving, including:
an overview of the grief experience
attachment and social influence on grief
uniqueness of the grief response
reconciliation needs of mourning
grief avoidance response styles
a model for assessment of the mourner
the funeral ritual and grief
organizing support groups
an introduction to “complicated mourning”
guidelines for self-care of the caregiver
Graduates of this comprehensive seminar will return home with a multitude of newly refined skills and abilities. This is our most well attended seminar, so early application is a must.
Exploring the “Shadows of the Ghosts of Grief” - Nov. 4-6, 2008
This stimulating seminar will explore the concept of the
“shadow of the ghosts of grief.” The person who is living in the
shadow of the ghosts has symptoms that suggest that the pain
of grief has been inhibited, suppressed or denied. These
symptoms stay present, driving the person’s life, trying to get
the attention they deserve. Dr Wolfelt refers to this
phenomenon as “carried grief”. Participants in this experience
will learn more about how the symptoms of “carried grief” are
projected into one’s body, relationships and world view. A
general framework to assist people in doing “catch up”
mourning will be explored in detail. Topics include:
definition of “shadow of the ghosts” of grief
exploring the evolution of this phenomenon
framework to understand the wounding process
outline of the potential “fall out” consequences of carried
grief
