OVERVIEW

Grieving Children Course is organized by The American Institute of Health Care Professionals (AIHCP), Inc..

Course Information:
This course provides a way for grief counseling professionals to be informed on the dynamics and nuances of the delicate subject of children and grief. The text incorporates anecdotal accounts and narrative excerpts as well as references to published studies. A wide array of related issues are discussed including developmental distinctions of childhood, differential grief effects contingent upon the type of death, guidelines for tending to children’s grief, a special focus on aggrieved children in the school setting, and other topics of concern. A host of counseling/therapeutic suggestions are offered based on the author’s clinical practice. Dyregrov himself extends that this book will hopefully “give the reader a fundament of knowledge about children’s grief reactions and how they can be helped” (p. 14). Course Code: GC 550. Contact hours of education: 30.

This course is particularly designed for those who are already or were recently certified by the American Academy of Grief Counseling, and are now seeking Certification as a Certified Grief Counselor in Child/Adolescent Grief.

Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Identify grief reactions in children of varying ages
• Discuss how a diversity of death types may present qualitatively different grief challenges to children
• Associate generally understood developmental level dynamics to grief representation in children
• Define factors that may complicate grief for children
• Understand gender complexities concerning children and grief
• Explore guidelines of effectively tending to grieving children and children in crisis
• Identify particular needs provincial to grieving children
• Understand the role of the school and other social venues in relation to children’s grief experiences
• Discuss issues concerning therapy and support groups for aggrieved children
• Identify important aspects of self-care for the counseling professional