Experiential Interventions In Grief Work by Dr Gemma Gladstone

Experiential Interventions In Grief Work by Dr Gemma Gladstone

Location: Holiday Inn, Potts Point, Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Date: 18^th October, 2018

Time: 9 am – 4.30 pm

CPD: 6

Cost: $ 320 + GST

Trainer: Dr Gemma Gladstone – Advanced level schema therapist, supervisor/trainer & Clinical Psychologist.

Website: www.sydneyschematherapy.com.au

Description:

Grief is an inescapable experience inherent in the human condition. The majority of clients presenting for mental health concerns or interpersonal problem are also carrying some degree of unprocessed loss, whether in the form of specific bereavements or as integral components of other difficult life experiences (eg, complex trauma). It is often the case that unprocessed, inhibited or complicated grief serves as a maintaining factor for many emotional disorders – major depression being the most obvious. Clinicians are often faced with dilemmas of clinical priorities and often swayed away from grief-work either because of a lack of confidence or an uncertainty about which interventions might be most effective.

This workshop will equip therapists with a skill set in selected experiential techniques.  Participants will be introduced to both chair-work and imagery-based interventions to use with clients struggling to resolve painful loss experiences and the meanings attached to them.  Complicating factors such as guilt feelings, self-blame/responsibility and regret, can be processed effectively using experiential methods, leaving clients feeling greatly relieved and often more positively connected to the lost person.  These interventions can often heal very long-standing painful emotions and beliefs held by the bereaved client and leave both therapist and client feeling more hopeful and positive about the client’s ability to accommodate the loss and grow around it.

This is a practical workshop with ample opportunity to discuss and practice interventions. Participants will be able to observe and engage in the guided practice of these experiential interventions so that they will feel more proficient and optimistic in their work helping clients with grief issues.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the markers of grief associated with inhibited grief reactions or complicated grief.
  
• Differentiate between ‘other-directed’ (eg, loss of a loved one/attachment figure) and intra-psychic (eg, parts of self) grief experiences
  
• Explain the rationale for using selected experiential interventions in both forms of grief work
  
• Use a chair-work intervention with clients to work through different emotions (i.e., cycle of emotions) in a healing dialogue with the object of grief (eg, a deceased love-one).
  
• Use a chair-work intervention to directly address (and resolve) clients’ experiences of guilt (e.g., role-reversal chair work).
  
• Explain the rationale for using a therapist-guided imagery exercise to connect with and assist in healing a client’s vulnerable child (ie, a VC mode).
  
• Use a guided imagery exercise to connect with (collect) and heal an aspect of grief held within a vulnerable child mode/part of self.
  
• Discuss a number of imagery-based and behavioural activities to foster re-connection (and further healing) with the VC mode – post-therapy (as a home-work task for clients).
  

This workshop is an extended version of the 1/2 day workshop run by Gemma at the 2018 April APS Clinical College Conference.