Accredited Bereavement Counselling Courses
Blackford Centre for Bereavement Counselling
The 12 Course Modules
- Understanding death, bereavement and grief Attitudes towards dying and death. Loss and grief in life.
People’s range of emotions following a death.
Symptoms of grief. Physical effects of grief.
Stages of grief. Kubler–Ross.
Other grief models.
The Loss Cycle
Anticipatory grief.
Grief resolution.
Unresolved grief.
How different cultures view grief. Common myths about grief and the grieving process.
Complicated feelings. Being conflicted.
From grief to depression: symptoms.
Emotions that emerge after death.
Delay in the grieving process caused by practical issues. - Parental grief Dealing with the tragedy of child death
Who is involved.
Still birth.
Death of a neonate
Death of a child. - Child grief Death of a parent. Grandparent. Pet death.
Changes in a child's behaviour. Bed wetting, thumb sucking, withdrawal and other behaviours. How and why children play up after bereavement.
Helping children deal with death. Talking to a child about death.
Pre-counselling Fully understanding the nature and issues concerning the child and the death before counselling.
Involving the child in the funeral.
Memory box.
Helping teens.
Useful books for children. - Bereaved by suicide Who commits suicide and why.
Terminology. What the bereaved can say about the death.
Impact of a suicide note. Impact on the parent.
Impact on a child. Will the child copy the suicidal act?
Practical issues: the inquest. Post mortem. Who to notify. The Bereavement Register.
Joining a support group. - Death of an adult parent.
The widow and widower Grief after terminal illness. The impact on the carer. Recognising the centre in family structure and new roles.
Widow and widower bereavement.
Widowed young, widowed in later life.The first few weeks.
The effect of death on the strong one, the breadwinner, on males. - Grief counselling strategies Assessment strategies.
Setting realistic expectations for the client’s grief: duration, impact.
Helping the client move on.
Help to understand the mourning process.
Grief counselling versus grief therapy.
Writing exercises
Journaling.
Writing a letter to the deceased
How the client can help themselves.
Words of grief
Strategies for coping.
Strategies for overcoming depression. - Practical issues. The funeral Registering a death. The undertaker.
The funeral.
Adapting and personalising the service.
Public displays.
Wearing black. Party or wake. - After the funeral Wakes
Rituals: public and private
The will. Probate.
House clearance. Inheritance tax. Selling the house. - Helping other professionals to cope Teachers, medical professionals, social care staff, police and prison staff, work colleagues.
How professionals can be affected.
How they can help.
What to say. What not to say. - Setting up a private practice Setting up a private bereavement counselling practice
location
Naming your company
How to advertise and promote your practice.
Business plan - How to charge, get paid and manage your money, and stay within the law Charging
How to keep the books and manage your money
Staying within the law.
Insurance and business structure.
Book keeping
Accountants - Launching your practice and finding clients Strategic marketing planning
Advertising and promotion
Personal selling
Tips for print media
Your potential marketBonus: Guide to Counselling skills
The role and value of listening therapy.
Active listening
How to establish a relationship using counselling skills
Empathy. Non-judgmental interaction. On giving advice.
The role of silence
Body language.
Giving advice
Prompts
Terminating a session
The client: counsellor relationship. Ethical framework
Referring clients
Self-care in a stress-filled role.
