GRIEF & LOSS: A COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAM
In-Person with Claire Bidwell Smith & Special Guests
May 16th–18th, 2024 | Los Angeles, CA
Join grief expert Claire Bidwell Smith for an interactive 3-day training program in Los Angeles!
- Over 15 hours of in-person training with Claire (CEs included*)
- Explore the complexities of grief in a supportive setting
- Learn from and interact with some of the most incredible people in the field!
- Discuss grief through the lens of race, culture, and identity with Alica Forneret of PAUSE
- Gather with author Colin Campbell to discuss profound loss and male grief
- Demystify death and end-of-life with Hospice Nurse Julie McFadden
- Connect to yourself during Yoga for Healing Professionals with Kelsey Sawyer
- Engage in thought-provoking writing exercises with Barri Leiner Grant
- Become a certified provider in Claire’s online directory of professionals
- Gain access to the Conscious Grieving Network– an exclusive online community for professionals
“As a clinician specializing in trauma, grief, and loss I found this training to be transformational. Claire Bidwell Smith is a bright light in this field. She has a keen ability to get to the heart of what’s important when clients are dealing with grief. Claire’s clinical training and her experience as a successful writer and teacher are instrumental in this class.” —Angela Schellenberg, LMHCA
Hi Friends,
Do you find yourself feeling called to work in the field of grief and loss? Step into the world of grief with me and let me show you how meaningful this work can be.
In recent years our world has experienced unprecedented loss and the demand for grief support is higher than ever. Professionals everywhere are being called on to help people process grief and loss, but because education in this field is lacking, people are continuing to struggle. From the length of time we grieve, the emotions we experience, and the far-reaching ramifications of loss, this work is often misunderstood and overlooked. Help broaden the scope of available grief support by joining me for my upcoming comprehensive grief training program.
Grief and loss are always with us, but how we choose to engage with this inevitable part of life is up to us. This program is designed to create a space for participants to consciously explore their own grief along with the grief of those they choose to serve. Educating yourself in the realm of death, dying, and grief is more meaningful and transformative than you can imagine and this experience will serve you both personally and professionally. Allow yourself to explore conscious grieving as a means for conscious living. I hope you will join me and my colleagues in California!
With Love,
DETAILS
DATES: Thursday, May 16 – Saturday, May 18th
LOCATION: Hilton Los Angeles Culver City
PRICING: Early Bird $2700 (ends March 31); Regular $3000
All meals included Thursday Morning – Saturday Evening
Special $179 hotel rate. Limited availability!
Grief & Loss Training with Claire Bidwell Smith (15 CE hours – see FAQs)
Conversations with Colin Campbell & Hospice Nurse Julie McFadden
Grief Through the Lens of Race, Culture, and Identity with Alica Forneret of PAUSE
Yoga with Kelsey Sawyer of Riverbend Grief Movement
Grief Writing Workshop with Barri Leiner Grant of The Memory Circle
Conveniently located near LAX, 405, shopping, and beaches
Onsite parking discount available
A Unique Opportunity
The in-person training in Los Angeles includes all material covered in Claire’s 6-week online Grief & Loss Training Program PLUS conversations and workshops with some of the most incredible people in the field! Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to connect and network with like-minded mental health and healing professionals. Space is limited so reserve your spot now.
The next 6-week online training begins in September 2024! Join the waitlist to receive information when registration opens.
Join Us for an Interactive 3-Day Training
Recognized as one of today’s foremost experts on grief, Claire Bidwell Smith is a licensed therapist, international speaker, and the author of five books published in 22 countries. Led by her own experience in grief and fueled by her work in hospice and private practice, Claire strives to provide support for all kinds of people experiencing all kinds of loss. Claire has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, MSNBC, CNN, Scientific American, Goop, Oprah and many more outlets. Her most recent books Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief and Conscious Grieving have provided groundbreaking and transformative approaches to the process of grief. Learn more at clairebidwellsmith.com or by following @clairebidwellsmith on social media.
Colin Campbell is a writer and director for theater and film. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Seraglio, a short film he wrote and directed with his lovely and talented wife, Gail Lerner. He has taught Theater and/or Filmmaking at Chapman University, Loyola Marymount University, Cal Poly Pomona University, and to incarcerated youth through The Unusual Suspects. His book, Finding the Words: Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose was published by Penguin Random House in March of 2023. He wrote and is currently touring a one person show titled, Grief: A One Man ShitShow which premiered at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and then ran for a month in New York City at Theatre Row. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, and ModernLoss.com and he has been interviewed on dozens of podcasts. He lives in Los Angeles and sometimes Joshua Tree with his wife Gail and the two teenagers they are in the process of adopting. Gail and Colin have created The Ruby and Hart Foundation, which raises money to send authors and books to underserved schools: https://gaillerner.com/the-ruby-and-hart-foundation/
Julie McFadden, BSN, RN with 16 years of experience as an ICU and Hospice/Palliative nurse, is passionate about normalizing discussions around death through education. She has garnered a significant TikTok following, covering end-of-life topics that have earned her recognition in Newsweek, USA Today, The Atlantic, and several other global articles. Julie actively engages with her audience across various social platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, fostering a more open conversation about death. You can find her as @HospiceNurseJulie on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube and at www.hospicenursejulie.com.
Julie’s new book Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully comes out on June 11.
Kelsey Sawyer is a Board Certified Dance Movement Therapist and Yoga Teacher who specializes in Grief. Her approach to the grief process emphasizes the mind, body, spirit connection, and incorporates physical movement exploration. Kelsey’s Flowing with Grief practice invites individuals to connect to their bodies and their grief through movement, breath, and sound in order to shift and release any pain or suffering that may be stored in the body. She is the founder of Riverbend Grief and Movement Therapy LLC, a private practice located in New York where she supports children, teens, and adults who are grieving.
Learn more about Kelsey’s work at www.riverbendgrief.com
Barri Leiner Grant is the Chief Grief Officer™ of The Memory Circle. Grant left her career as a publicist and reporter to pursue full-time work as a Certified Grief Coach and Specialist. She has trained with the leading names in the grief space, including certification with Claire Bidwell Smith, Hope Edelman and David Kessler. She combines her writing background and yoga/meditation training to craft a one-of-its-kind way forward in learning to live with loss. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, Psychology Today, essays on Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper among others.
Learn more about her work at www.thememorycircle.com
Workshop: Grief Through the Lens of Race, Culture, and Identity
In this 3-hour workshop, PAUSE will cover how identity impacts the death, dying, and grief experience of People of Color. Together, we will explore how race and culture can influence the type of support providers can offer to their clients. Attendees should be prepared to engage in individual exercises to examine their own identity and how it’s impacted their personal grief experience, as well as small group work and large group discussions to center storytelling and resourcing from community. Attendees will walk away with practical ideas for expanding their approach to making culturally relevant referrals, as well as a customized list of grief resources by and for People of Color.
Topics covered:
- Cultural and systemic blockages between POC clients and mental health support and the mental health system
- “Whole person care” and the constellation of grief and end-of-life support within POC communities
- Grief and other lived experiences tied to identity/race (cultural bereavement, collective grief, etc.)
- Seeking out and making culturally-relevant referrals to honor your personal limits
- Storytelling about first-hand experiences of POC seeking and receiving therapy and grief counseling
Alica Forneret (she/her) is an educator, speaker, and consultant dedicated to creating new spaces for people to explore grief and grieving. She is the Founder and Executive Director of PAUSE, an organization focused on supporting Communities of Color through grief and end of life.
Alica consults on product development and systems change to help companies create resources and tools for grieving communities. She facilitates sessions focused on inclusive bereavement responses and how to address grief at work for companies including Google, Culture Amp, Nielsen, and The California Department of Education. And she has partnered on international events and projects with the likes of The Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Foundation, Columbia University, and Lululemon.
Alica’s writing and work about grief, work, and race have been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Psychology Today, Huffington Post, GQ, and more. Learn more about her at www.alicaforneret.co.
What’s Included?
- All sessions Thursday – Saturday
- All meals, including Saturday evening outdoor dinner reception
- Listing as a Certified Provider* in Claire’s online Professional Directory
- Downloadable anxiety workbook for use with clients (pdf)
- Certificates of completion* (pdf)
- Digital badge for use on your website or social media* (jpg)
- Ongoing access to an interactive online community
- 15 CE hours* (See FAQs for more info)
- Time to connect and network with fellow professionals
- 6 free months of membership in Claire’s Conscious Grieving Professional Network
*Must attend all training sessions
Registration ends May 1st or when capacity is reached. Please register as soon as possible to take advantage of the discounted hotel block.
Schedule Overview
THURSDAY, MAY 16TH
8:00 am: Breakfast & Coffee Available
9:00 am – 12:00: Grief & Loss Training with Claire
Lunch Break
12:30 pm – 3:30 pm: Grief & Loss Training with Claire
4:00pm – 5:00 pm: Grief Writing Workshop with Barri Leiner Grant
6:30 pm: Dinner
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Conversation with Colin Campbell
FRIDAY, MAY 17TH
8:00 am: Breakfast & Coffee Available
9:00 am – 12:00: Grief & Loss Training with Claire
Lunch Break
12:30 pm – 3:30 pm: Grief & Loss Training with Claire
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Yoga with Kelsey Sawyer (no experience necessary)
6:30 pm: Dinner
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Conversation with Nurse Julie McFadden
SATURDAY, MAY 18TH
8:00 am: Breakfast & Coffee Available
9:00 am – 12:00: Grief & Loss Training with Claire
Lunch Break
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm: PAUSE Workshop with Alica Forneret
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Conversation & Networking
6:00 – 9:00 pm: Dinner & Outdoor Reception
Note: Session and meal times are subject to change as details are finalized.
“With wisdom and grace, Claire Bidwell Smith navigates the mysteries of grief to show us that there is great meaning and even magic to be found in exploring the unknown.” — Maria Shriver
Grief & Loss Training with Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC
- Analyze the clinical implications of bereavement symptoms contributing to the development of complicated grief.
- Establish how clinicians can better recognize grieving clients who mask symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- Explore the connection between grief and anxiety and the implications for grief treatment.
- Assess the clinical importance of targeting anxiety to improve treatment outcomes.
- Evaluate how the reduction of guilt related to the death is an important aspect of treating grief.
- Characterize how techniques that help clients make amends with lost loved ones can help them overcome guilt-driven anxiety.
- Apply mindfulness as an effective strategy to help client manage their symptoms.
- Investigate how narrative approaches can be used with clients to help them cope with loss.
- Specify how personal narratives and grief recovery letters can be utilized in the treatment of grief and anxiety.
- Communicate how clinicians can prepare themselves to work with anxiety in a variety of grieving client populations.
- Identify grief causes, symptoms, reactions
- Understand various timelines for grief
- Explore where the traditional 5-stage model fails
- Evaluate how the reduction of guilt related to the death is an important aspect of treating grief
- Make amends to overcome guilt-driven anxiety
- How narrative therapy can help clients to overcome guilt post-loss
- How to measure intensity and duration & identify symptoms
- Strategies to normalize and explore anger
- Recognize clients who use anger to mask other symptoms
- The link between grief and anxiety
- Anxiety, loss, and life’s unpredictability
- Awareness techniques – identify where fear starts in the body
- Continuing bonds model as a way to alleviate grief symptoms
- Ways to honor and maintain connection to loved ones
- How grief extends through a lifetime and how to carry the loss and loved one with you
- Identify and evaluate issues that arise for clients who are facing end of life either for themselves or family members
- Identify and understand treatment for anticipatory grief
- Personal narratives to overcome anxiety and death
- Sudden deaths, violent deaths, and chronic illnesses
- Loss of partner or child
- Children’s grief strategies
- Research limitations and treatment risks
Individuals who complete the Grief & Loss Training Program are invited to join Claire’s exclusive online community.
The Conscious Grieving Network is an online platform where mental health professionals can connect with one another to share expertise, present cases, and build community. Each month, Claire will host a live online workshop where she will dive deep into a specific topic or interview guests from a variety of backgrounds and professions. All graduates of the Grief & Loss Training Program receive 6 free months of membership in this subscription-based platform.
FAQ's
This training is intended for mental health counselors seeking to expand their knowledge and skills regarding grief and death, but all are welcome to apply. In addition to formal training sessions and workshops, there will be ample time to connect and network with fellow healing professionals. This is truly a unique opportunity for LA-based professionals and anyone who would like to join us in sunny California!
We encourage you to carefully read the Grief & Loss Program objectives and session descriptions before submitting your deposit.
Participants wishing to receive CE hours must attend all sessions with Claire in order to receive a CE certificate of completion.
The sessions/workshops with facilitators other than Claire Bidwell Smith are not eligible for CE hours, but are strongly encouraged to become a Certified Provider in Claire’s online directory.
Grief & Loss: A Comprehensive Training Program has been approved by NBCC for NBCC credit. Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. NBCC Approval No. SP-4561.
We require all participants who wish to earn CE hours to take part in all Grief & Loss Training sessions with Claire. We are not authorized to issue partial credit.
Participants who would like to receive a certificate of completion and be listed as a Certified Provider in Claire’s online directory must attend all the Grief & Loss Training sessions. We strongly encourage attendance at all sessions and workshops for a comprehensive experience.
- Up to 60 days prior to start date: refundable minus $200 deposit
- Up to 30 days prior the start date: 50% refundable minus $200 deposit
- From 21 days to the start date: non-refundable
- We suggest you purchase travel insurance when you book airline tickets to avoid flight cancellation fees
- We are not responsible for hotel reservations. Please book early via the link provided in the welcome email to receive a discounted rate.
- Organizers reserve the right to cancel the event up to 30 days before start date if minimum enrollment has not been achieved. You would then receive a 100% refund of the registration fee.
You do not have to stay onsite, but we encourage you to do so!
There will be ample opportunity to network with fellow training participants, connect with like-minded professionals, and get to know Claire. Plus, we’ve negotiated an amazing room rate! You will receive the discounted reservation link after submitting a deposit. Check out the hotel amenities (including a pool) here >>
Local participants: feel free to stay onsite or join the training as a day guest. All meals are included in the training fee.
Yes! Payment plans are available at checkout through the popular buy now, pay later methods Klarna, Affirm, and/or Afterpay. Your options will be shown at checkout and may vary based on region and history.
Please plan to submit full payment or begin your payment plan within 10 days of receiving the registration email to guarantee your spot.
The May 2024 training will not be available online, however Claire does offer a 6-week virtual Grief & Loss Training Program approximately once a year. The next online training will take place in Fall 2024. Learn more HERE.
We are happy to help! Please be sure to thoroughly read the website and then email support@clairebidwellsmith.com with further questions or concerns.
“The grief certification program with Claire was the perfect complement for me to add more clinical skills around grief to my lived experience. The training was a beautiful combination of teaching theory, actual interventions you can use immediately with clients, and consultation with Claire and others in the group.” — Theodora Blanchfield, AMFT, Grief & Loss Program Graduate
Grief & Loss: A Comprehensive Training Program has been approved by NBCC for NBCC credit. Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. NBCC Approval No. SP-4561.