Grief In Film - The Academy for Community Behavioral Health

OVERVIEW

This introductory course is designed for participants who may be new to the world of grief and grief support. Foundational concepts of grief such as acute grief, integrated grief, ambiguous loss, prolonged grief, ritual, complicated spiritual grief, and attachment theory will be brought to life through scenes from classic and contemporary film and television.

WHAT TO EXPECT

This 1.5 hour course will involve viewing and discussing film and television clips. We will also provide an overview of core concepts and discuss them. We invite participants to be on camera where possible, especially for discussion.

This course is likely not appropriate for learners with more advanced coursework or training in grief counseling or support, as it will focus on foundational concepts rather than hands-on skill building.

PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN

Distinguishing features of acute and integrated grief
Principles for supporting the bereaved
Foundations of contemporary approaches to grief counseling

ELIGIBILITY

This course is open to staff of any non-profit organization or government agency that delivers social services in NYC.

SPECIAL NOTE

Due to the universal nature of grief, we expect that many, if not all course participants, will have experienced loss. Those considering this course should know that our focus will be on learning to support community members who are grieving. While we welcome reflections on how learners' personal experience of grief impacts their view of grieving and may contribute to the challenges of supporting others, we will not be able to provide personal grief support to learners in this course.

This course may not be a good fit for individuals who have suffered recent or traumatic losses, and is not a good fit for those experiencing acute distress or seeking personal therapeutic support. If you have any questions about whether this course would be appropriate for you, please contact [email protected].