Grief Treatment Certification Retreat
Clinical Tools for Building Resiliency and Moving Toward Post-Traumatic Growth
- Speaker:
- Christina Zampitella, PsyD, FT
- Duration:
- Approx. 12 Hours
- Copyright:
-
May 11, 2026
- Product Code:
- POS150597
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar - Also available: In-Person Seminar | Live Webcast
Description
Your clients have spent years besieged by death, loss and uncertainty.
For many there will be no “return to normal” – driving more grieving clients than ever before into the care of professionals.
But for far too long graduate school grief education has neglected to cover assessment, complex grief, non-death grief and clinical interventions. The result? Therapists like you often feel unprepared to provide grief-related services.
It’s time to change all that.
Dr. Christina Zampitella is a clinical psychologist and recognized grief expert who’s trained thousands of professionals on grief work. In this all NEW certification training she’ll show you how you can confidently counsel and treat grieving clients and help them integrate loss into their lives.
Complete evidence-based tools, proven strategies you can use right away, and case studies that make the work understandable, relevant and attainable, you’ll leave able to:
- Tailor clinical interventions to the uniqueness of each client’s grief
- Counsel and treat clients who experienced different types of losses
- Build clients’ resilience and help them make meaning
- Reduce symptoms of complicated grief
- Walk with clients on the path toward post-traumatic growth
- And much more!
Best of all, upon completion of this training, you’ll be eligible to become a Certified Grief Informed Professional (CGP) through Evergreen Certifications letting colleagues, employers, and clients know that you’ve invested the extra time and effort necessary to understand the complexities of grief.
Don’t wait. The grief pandemic is one of the greatest mental health crises of our time and clients need your help now.
Purchase today!
CERTIFICATION MADE SIMPLE!
- No hidden fees – PESI pays for your application fee (a $99 value)*!
- Simply complete this training and the included post-event evaluation, and your application to be a Certified Grief Informed Professional through Evergreen Certifications is complete.*
Attendees will receive documentation of CGP designation from Evergreen Certifications 4 to 6 weeks following completion.
*Professional standards apply. Visit www.evergreencertifications.com/cgp for professional requirements.
Credit
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
Christina Zampitella, PsyD, FT Related seminars and products
Christina Zampitella, PsyD, FT is a licensed clinical psychologist, Fellow in Thanatology, and founder of the Center for Grief and Trauma Therapy. She serves as an adjunct professor and international professional speaker, with a particular passion for training and mentoring emerging mental health professionals. Dr. Zampitella is also the host of her podcast Phoenix Rising with Dr. Z.
Her clinical practice, research, course development, and teaching focus on bereavement studies, meaning reconstruction, nature-based therapy, and integrative psychology. She has served as Chair of the Continuing Education Committee for multiple professional organizations and is a faculty member at the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, where she holds certifications in grief therapy through meaning reconstruction as well as in non-death losses within the meaning reconstruction framework.
Dr. Zampitella previously served as the resident psychologist for Channel 5 News in San Diego and has appeared on NBC News in both California and Delaware. Her work has been featured in Elle Magazine, BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post, The New York Post, and several Delaware publications.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Christina Zampitella is the owner of The Center for Grief and Trauma Therapy and has an employment relationship with National University. She receives compensation as a presenter and receives a grant from Delaware Workforce Training. She receives speaking honorariums from TZK Seminars and eCare. She is the founder and host of Phoenix Rising with Dr. Z. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Christina Zampitella serves on the advisory committee for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and the National University's Integrative Psychology Bachelor's Degree Program. She is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Delaware Psychological Association. She is a fellow with the Association for Death Education and Counseling.
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
- Assess for trauma, depression, substance use and anxiety in grieving clients.
- Utilize two assessment measures for gathering grief responses.
- Distinguish how the experiences created by different types of loss impact assessment and treatment planning.
- Evaluate contemporary models of bereavement as they relate to case conceptualization for grief therapy.
- Assess the boundaries of professional competence in grief work and know when to refer out.
- Investigate factors that can influence the grief process including the type of loss and support system.
- Use the DSM-5 to diagnose/identify Prolonged Grief Disorder.
- Employ emotional regulation techniques to help calm clients who’ve experienced a traumatic loss.
- Implement a bereavement plan of care for identified Prolonged Grief Disorder.
- Use CBT techniques to help bereaved clients manage guilt, blame and other maladaptive cognitions following loss.
- Apply narrative approaches to help clients construct meaning following loss.
- Utilize mindfulness interventions to reduce anxiety symptoms in clients with grief.
- Evaluate the clinical implications of cultural beliefs surrounding mourning and continuing relationships with the deceased.
- Utilize best practices to structure and facilitate grief support or treatment groups.
- Develop strategies for self-care when working with grieving clients.
- Analyze continuing attachment bonds and their relevance to clinical practice with bereaved clients across the lifespan.
Outline
Day 1
Assessment of Grieving Clients:
Uncover Grief Intensity, Depression, Substance Use and Suicidal Ideation
- Grief intensity scale
- Hogan grief reaction checklist
- Assessment to uncover trauma, depression, substance use and anxiety
- QPR and S-SSRS to assess for suicidal ideation or substance use
- Isolation, sleep and nutrition concerns for grieving clients
Assessment and Treatment of Prolonged Grief Disorder
- How to diagnose using the DSM-5TR™
- Assessment resources
- Complicated Grief Treatment Model
- Meaning Reconstruction
Grief Therapy and Counseling in Action:
Clinical Tools and Treatment Approaches to Facilitate Healthy Grieving
- Grief counseling vs. grief treatment – what’s the difference?
- CBT techniques for guilt, blame and other maladaptive cognitions following loss
- Mindfulness interventions for anticipatory grief and anxiety symptoms
- Narrative approaches to process grief by putting words to the pain
- Exercises to help clients better face uncertainty
- Creative tools to support emotional regulation and expression
- Tools to manage regret and facilitate forgiveness and reconciliation
- Alternative ways to honor deceased loved ones and find closure
- How to make virtual sessions as effective as in-person ones
Day 2
Non-Death and Abstract Losses:
How to Effectively Work with Clients Who’ve Experienced “Living Losses”
- Abstract losses – how to work with loss of connection, routine, normalcy and identity
- Divorce
- Substance use
- Natural disasters
- Life-limiting and mental illness
- Developmental disabilities
- Military or incarceration
- Symbolic Losses
The Traumatic Grief Treatment Toolkit:
Build Clients’ Resiliency and Move Them Toward Post-Traumatic Growth
- Assess for PTSD symptoms
- Emotional regulation techniques for clients who’ve had a traumatic loss
- DBT techniques to decrease avoidance and manage suicidal ideation
- CBT coping skills for traumatic memories and rumination
- Clinical strategies to reduce fear responses
- How to work with the unique challenges of suicide survivors
- Exercises to help clients overcome guilt and shame
- Employing a strengths-based approach to build resiliency
The Clinician’s Guide to Grief and Loss Groups:
How to Successfully Structure and Facilitate Grief Support or Treatment Groups
- Differences between
- Psychoeducational groups or therapeutic process groups
- Peer or clinician led groups
- Loss-specific or general grief groups
- Open and closed groups
- Participant screening
- Keys to effective facilitation
- Program evaluation
Day 3
Grief Work with Clients of Diverse Race, Backgrounds, Cultures and Beliefs
- How culture impacts length of mourning and continuing relationships with the deceased
- Spiritual impacts on grief
- How inequalities in race, gender, sexual orientation and age impact support of grief and loss
- Personal assessment activity
- Cultural competence vs. culturally and difference intentioned/aware practice
- Cultural & difference-focused engagement ideas and strategies
Ethical Considerations in Grief Counseling and Treatment
- Boundaries of professional competence
- Research and treatment risks
- Working with the terminally ill, minors, families and end-of-life decisions
- Vicarious trauma, compassion, fatigue and self-care
Target Audience
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Counselors
- Addiction Counselors
- Case Managers
- Social Workers
- Pastoral Counselors
- Chaplains/Clergy
- Funeral Directors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Mental Health Nurses
- Nursing Home Administrators
- Thanatologists
- Physicians
- Other Mental Health Professionals
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