OVERVIEW

Working with grief is an integral part of psychotherapeutic work. Grief is typically associated with the death of a loved one. However, it is also experienced in many different life situations and is frequently encountered in psychotherapy. For example, grief is present in major life transitions, aging, medical diagnoses and illness, broken relationships, or the loss of a goal or dream (example - not achieving a long-held career aspiration, being unable to start a family, losing a business, not having children). While grief is a normal and healthy emotional response, there are common challenges that can interfere with its normal course. For example, clients may struggle with overwhelming emotions such as sadness, anger, guilt, or anxiety, which can be difficult to manage.

In this workshop, Dr. Virginia Boquiren will present a flexible, integrative approach to working with grief. Using theoretical principles and evidence-based interventions from different psychotherapeutic approaches, you will learn to assess various grief processing challenges and apply targeted techniques. This workshop aims to help you build a clinical skillset that can be drawn upon to help clients move through grief, create new meaning, and build a fulfilling life. Skills will draw from several evidence-based modalities, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, and Mindfulness.

This workshop is tailored for mental health professionals from any training background who would like to learn practical skills to working with grief and loss.

OBJECTIVES

Through didactic presentation, participants will learn:

• To identify different types of loss and the universal experiences involved in a person’s grief journey.
• Key principles in an integrative approach to grief therapy. 
• How to assess the client’s current emotional state and processing style to determine how to most effectively facilitate healthy grieving (is the client having difficulty with experiencing and expressing vulnerability, anger, letting go, etc.). 
• To apply the skills that will guide clients through the tasks of grieving that are used to process different types of loss (example - death of a loved one, loss of an important relationship, life changes and transitions, loss of health or physical function).
• To work with common challenges related to the grief process.
• To apply techniques that help facilitate clients’ growth, resilience, and how to make meaning after loss. 

CE CREDITS

Ontario Psychological Association (OPA) -  6 Credits

Medical Psychotherapy Association of Canada (MDPAC) - 5.5 Credits

Ontario Association of Mental Health Practitioners (OAMHP) - 6 Credits

Participation in this workshop allows OAMHP members to apply 6 hours (CECs) towards their required continuing education hours. OAMHP’s review of the general content of this workshop recognizes the learning objectives meet and support the criteria (1) for best known practice in continuing education and (2) for educational requirements for mental health professionals.

RATES

Regular Admission: $220 (+ applicable taxes)

Student Rate: $150 (+ applicable taxes) Please contact training@cpeh.ca to gain access to the Student Rate

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Dr. Virginia Boquiren is a Clinical and Health Psychologist at the Centre for Psychology and Emotional Health, registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Rosalind Franklin University, Illinois, USA. She did her predoctoral internship at Vancouver Coastal Health, in the Health Psychology track, with a speciality in psychosocial oncology. Dr. Boquiren works with clients experiencing a wide variety of psychological disorders, providing evidence-based treatment, integrating different psychotherapeutic modalities, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Mindfulness approaches. She provides training, consultation, and supervision, and is passionate about mentoring students. In addition, she is a published scholar in the field of psychosocial oncology and palliative care.