Skip to main content
Not Found
Digital Seminar

Advanced Grief Specialist Certification Retreat

Evidence-Based Interventions for Somatic Integration, Narrative Repair, and Meaning-Making Across the Grief Continuum
Speaker:
Erica H Sirrine, PhD, LCSW, FT
Duration:
Approx. 18 Hours
Copyright:
Jan 05, 2026
Product Code:
POS150508
Media Type:
Digital Seminar - Also available: In-Person Seminar | Live Webcast
Save for Later  Add to Cart »

Description

Watch renowned grief educator and Director of Social Work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dr. Erica Sirrine, for three days of advanced clinical training and deep personal renewal.

You’ll explore the most effective grief counseling strategies—rooted in cutting-edge research and practical application—for clients navigating loss of all kinds. From developmental considerations to cultural contexts, complicated grief, and meaning-making, you’ll finish with the tools to support even your most complex cases.

You’ll walk away knowing how to:

  • Assess grief presentations with clarity and create personalized intervention plans for every client.
  • Apply evidence-based strategies to help clients process loss while fostering resilience and post-loss growth.
  • Navigate challenging moments, from intense emotions to crisis points, with confidence and compassion.

As a bonus, you’ll receive your Certified Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist (CAGCS) designation—free with registration (a $99 value).*

CERTIFICATION MADE SIMPLE

  • No hidden fees – PESI pays for your application fee (a $99.99 value)!
  • Simply complete this training and the included post-event evaluation, and your application to be a Certified Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist through Evergreen Certifications is complete*

Attendees will receive documentation of CAGCS designation from Evergreen Certifications 4 to 6 weeks following completion.

*Professional standards apply. Visit www.evergreencertifications.com/cagcs  for professional requirements.

Credit

* Credit Note - Self-Study CE Information Coming Soon

Continuing education credit information is coming soon for this non-interactive self-study package.

CE hours may be available for select professions, as listed in the target audience. Hours will be dependent on the actual recording time. Please check with your state licensing board or organization for specific requirements. 

There may be an additional fee for CE certificates. Please contact our Customer Service at 1-800-844-8260 for more details. 

**Materials that are included in this course may include interventions and modalities that are beyond the authorized practice of your profession. As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice in accordance with and in compliance with your professions standards.

Speaker

Erica H Sirrine, PhD, LCSW, FT's Profile

Erica H Sirrine, PhD, LCSW, FT Related seminars and products

Dr. Erica Sirrine is a licensed clinical social worker with over 22 years of experience in the field of death, dying, and bereavement. She earned a PhD in social work and has been awarded the distinction of Fellow in Thanatology by the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Dr. Sirrine has conducted and published research on grief and bereavement, including a study on college student experiences of loss amid the COVID-19 pandemic that was published in OMEGA: Journal of Death and Dying and featured in TIME magazine. She maintains a blog on grief and is the author of Sammy’s Story, an anticipatory grief counseling book for young children experiencing the serious illness of a parent.

Dr. Sirrine has extensive expertise providing individual and group therapy to children, adolescents, adults, and families experiencing illness and loss. She has implemented numerous interventions and programs aimed at improving the emotional health of clients and currently serves as the director of social work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dr. Sirrine frequently presents seminars on bereavement and loss throughout the United States and is known for her interactive and engaging workshops.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Erica Sirrine has employment relationships with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She receives royalties as a published author and a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Erica Sirrine is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers, the National Alliance for Children’s Grief, and the National Association of Social Workers.

Additional Info

Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)

Access never expires for this product.


Questions?

Visit our FAQ page at www.pesi.com/faq or contact us at www.pesi.com/info


Objectives

  1. Describe the latest research on grief, mourning, and bereavement, including current DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for Prolonged Grief Disorder.
  2. Identify developmental factors that influence grief responses across the lifespan, from childhood to older adulthood.
  3. Differentiate between normal grief, prolonged grief, anticipatory grief, and disenfranchised grief.
  4. Assess grief presentations using standardized assessment tools and culturally sensitive approaches.
  5. Apply evidence-based grief counseling interventions, including the dual-process model of coping, meaning reconstruction, and continuing bonds theory.
  6. Integrate conversations that help clients explore and integrate the loss into their ongoing and continued life.
  7. Implement strategies to address grief in special populations, including children, adolescents, and families facing terminal illness.
  8. Apply culturally responsive grief practices that honor diverse mourning rituals and traditions.
  9. Address grief in clients with co-occurring mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and trauma.
  10. Use tools to support clients experiencing non-death losses such as divorce, job loss, or illness.
  11. Utilize creative and expressive modalities—such as journaling, art, and ritual—in grief counseling.
  12. Navigate grief in healthcare, hospice, and palliative care settings with sensitivity and professional boundaries.
  13. Coach caregivers and family members on healthy communication strategies during the grief process.
  14. Recognize and mitigate risk factors for prolonged grief and grief-related mental health crises.
  15. Apply self-care and resilience-building strategies to prevent counselor burnout when working with grieving clients.
  16. Develop individualized grief counseling treatment plans tailored to client needs, values, and cultural background.
  17. Facilitate group counseling sessions for grieving individuals.
  18. Evaluate counseling outcomes and adapt interventions for ongoing client growth and healing.

Outline

Understanding Different Types of Loss and Grief
  • Death vs. non-death losses
  • Losses that accompany serious illness
  • Secondary losses
  • Ambiguous losses
  • Cumulative losses
  • Disenfranchised grief
  • Anticipatory grief
Common Misconceptions about Grief and Grief Counseling
  • Reframing our language and expectations about grief and loss
  • The trouble with assigning timelines to grief
  • Distinguishing between grieving and mourning
  • “Getting Over” vs. Integrating Loss
  • Depression vs. Bereavement: A Distinction
  • Supporting vs. Treating Grief
Supporting Clients Beyond a Staged-Model of Grief
  • Common emotional, physical, cognitive, social, and spiritual expressions of grief
  • Factors that influence expressions of grief and mourning
  • The Dual-Process Model of Coping
  • The Two-Track Model of Bereavement
  • The Tasks of Mourning
  • The Six Needs of Mourning
Grief and Loss Assessment
  • Using a loss line as an assessment tool
  • Standardized assessment measures of grief
  • Risk assessments for suicidal ideation and violence
  • Assessment and screening for substance use as a coping mechanism
Special Considerations in Grief Counseling
  • Grief following suicide, violence, or substance use
  • Stigmatized losses and deaths
  • Identifying vicarious trauma and generational trauma
  • Prolonged Grief Disorder- diagnosis, assessment, and treatment
  • Differential diagnosis and co-occurring disorders
Continuing Bonds Following Death
  • Attachment theory, grief, and continuing bonds
  • Linking objects as a form of continuing bond
  • Assessment of continuing bonds, including whether a bond is adaptive or maladaptive
  • Common expressions of continuing bonds across the lifespan
Anticipatory Grief Counseling
  • Understanding and normalizing the dying process and anticipatory grief experience
  • Sustained hope in anticipatory grief
  • Legacy-based interventions
  • Talking to children about serious illness
  • Preparing clients to return to work after a death
Strategies to Support Grieving Children and Adolescents
  • Current statistics on childhood and adolescent grief
  • Cognitive components of understanding death
  • Magical thinking
  • Developmental differences in understanding and expressions of grief
  • Common grief expressions across developmental milestones
  • Childhood traumatic grief vs. normative grief
  • Evidence-based interventions for treating traumatic grief in children and adolescents
  • Explaining suicide and homicide to children
  • Preparing children and adolescents to attend death rituals, including a funeral or memorial service
  • Preparing children and adolescents to return to school after a significant loss
Individual Grief Counseling: Over 40 Creative Interventions and Strategies to Support Children, Adolescents, and Adults
  • Clinician considerations
  • Bibliotherapy
  • Therapeutic games
  • Expressive play for young children
  • Expressive arts
  • Expressive writing
  • Music
  • Memorialization activities
  • Self-care and self-compassion strategies
Family and Group Grief Counseling: Considerations, Interventions, and Strategies
  • Impact of loss on the family system
  • Family involvement in grief counseling
  • Grief and loss support groups: Children, adolescents, adults
  • Support group curriculum & session topics (adaptable for individual therapy sessions)
  • Community grief and bereavement camps for children and adolescents
  • Creative intervention strategies to promote family resilience
    • “From Broken to Whole”
    • “Love after Loss”
Promoting Client Resilience and Growth
  • Fostering post-traumatic growth and resilience
  • Promoting reconciliation and integration of grief
  • Meaning-making in grief
Ethical Considerations in Grief Counseling
  • Applying ethical principles to grief counseling
  • Limitations of the research and potential risks in grief counseling
  • Balancing clinical guidance with cultural and spiritual traditions
  • Navigating professional boundaries in grief groups and memorialization activities
  • Preventing compassion fatigue and burnout
  • Fostering professional resilience

Target Audience

  • Mental Health Professionals
  • Social Workers
  • Chaplains
  • Hospice Workers
  • School Counselors

Claim your FREE listing

Need referrals? List your practice in the directory for FREE!

Reviews

Satisfaction Guarantee
Your satisfaction is our goal and our guarantee. Concerns should be addressed to: PO Box 1000, Eau Claire, WI 54702-1000 or call 1-800-844-8260.

ADA Needs
We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please call our Customer Service Department for more information at 1-800-844-8260.

PESI Mobile App

Access CE trainings on your phone or tablet through our free mobile app. Choose video or audio-only versions of online courses from the world’s best instructors, and complete your CE requirements anywhere, anytime, at your own pace.

https://cdn.pesi23.com/images/android.png     https://cdn.pesi23.com/images/iphone.png

Please wait ...

Back to Top