Bereavement & Loss (1 day)

The experience of bereavement and loss takes many forms and relates to different life experiences as well as death. No matter what the source of the grief, the experience has a tendency to run a familiar path. Research suggests that healthy grieving is when this path is sequentially followed and completed and that when this does not occur, ongoing distress and dysfunction follow.
This course, designed for front line workers provides the awareness of the different losses involved and how service users can be supported through the process; when to refer on and to pre-empt more critical situations.
This course is not suitable for staff that have recently experienced significant loss or have not resolved earlier grief reactions.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the course participants should understand:

• What is meant by ‘bereavement and loss’
• The different losses that people commonly experience
        -life experiences
        -major life changes
• The way in which loss has been traditionally expressed in the UK
• The changes that have taken place-contemporary expectations
• A multi-cultural perspective
• The impact of bereavement and loss on the individual
        -socially
        -employment
        -physically
        -psychologically
        -spiritually
• The stages of grieving-different models
• What is unhealthy and unhealthy grief
• What unhealthy grieving can lead to for the individual
• What is the difference between grieving and clinical depression
• What is meant by a ‘living bereavement’
• How to help bereaved service users through the process
• How far is it appropriate for support workers to work with bereavement issues
• When, to whom and how to make a referral for external support
• What typically happens when there is a service user death-in particular unpredicted death
• Appropriate support for staff teams
• How to support a colleague who has experience significant loss
• What are the limitations for supporting bereaved staff at work
• Resources and help available
• Living wills

Training methods:

• Presentations
• Role-play
• Trust exercises
• Word-storming
• Feedback
• Discussion
• Tutor presentations
• OHP/PowerPoint
• Group work

CP23/4.9