Caring for a Wounded Heart: A Psychospiritual Approach to Traumatic Grief

A live interactive Web Workshop hosted on Google Meet for social workers and licensed professional counselors. Continuing Education Credits Awarded/ Contact Hours: 3 clock hours (ASWB/ACE) (NBCC), 3 CE (MD BSWE)

This is a hybrid event. The event will be hosted at Grace Community Church (8200 Old Columbia Rd., Fulton, MD, 20759) and broadcast online with a link provided upon purchase of admission. If you have purchased a ticket to access the recording of the session, access to the recording will be provided after the session has concluded and the recording has been edited.

*If you are a CentrePointe alum and are interested in attending this session, please send an email to office@cpchope.org. Current students may also qualify for free attendance. Please send an email to office@cpchope.org to learn more about this opportunity.

Course Description:

While death is a concept that signals the end of life even while anticipated, those who experience the death of a loved one often respond with grief. When the death event is sudden and tragic, such as homicide or suicide, the bereaved is usually so steeped in anguish and emotionally besieged in sorrow that their ability to cope is largely compromised. They sometimes succumb to permanent, emotional scarring, the effects of which could be pervasive, enduring, and harmful (Aldrick & Kallivayalil, 2016). To address this phenomenon, we will examine the sense-losing effect of traumatic grief and our role in helping to care for the wounded hearts of the bereaved through a strengths-based psychospiritual approach to treatment. We will also examine how various religious denominations view grief, and the role of religion and spirituality in contributing to growth.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

• Recognize the sense-losing component of traumatic grief events.
• The effect of traumatic grief events on established grief theories.
• The role of religion and spirituality in sense re-making/posttraumatic growth.
• Counselor self-care when treating clients experiencing traumatic grief.

Course Agenda:

9:00 – 9:15 AM: Introductions

9:15 – 9:30 AM: Overview of the Research that supports this presentation

9:30 – 10:00 AM: The Sense-losing model and review of established grief theories

10:00 – 10:15 AM: Group Activity

10:15 – 10:30 AM: Break

10:30 – 11:00 AM: The role of religion and spirituality in the grief experience

11:00 – 11:15 AM: Group Activity

11:15 – 11:30 AM: Recognizing posttraumatic growth and the sense re-making model

11:30 – 11:45 AM: Counselor self-care

11:45 AM – 12:00 PM: Q & A, Evaluations

Our Presenter:

Glenda Laurent Dickonson, Ph.D., LCPC, NCC is an assistant professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at The Chicago School, DC campus. Glenda embraces positive psychology and her way of being as a counselor is person-centered with a spiritually integrated approach. She works mostly with adults experiencing mood disorders, anxiety, and trauma. Her research focuses on traumatic grief and posttraumatic growth. Glenda chairs the Awards Committee at the Maryland Counseling Association and is secretary of the Maryland Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (MASERVIC).

Registration & information:

The cost to attend this event is $60, which includes a certificate of completion.

Space is limited. Cancellations must be received prior to the event date to be eligible for a refund.

Register online at www.eventbrite.com/o/centrepointe-counseling-inc-9832900843. Registration closes on December 10th, 2025.

This live webinar takes place on Google Meet and is fully interactive. Attendees may ask and answer questions throughout the presentation and participate in instructor-led discussion

Operating Systems Requirements: Windows 10 or higher, MacOS 10 or higher, Android 5.0 or higher. • Internet Browser: Internet Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge (Chromium based), Safari. • Broadband Internet connection: Cable, High-speed DSL & any other medium that is internet accessible

Please contact Centrepointe Counseling’s Continuing Education Director, Matthew Raeder (mraeder@centrepointecounseling.org.), if you have questions, concerns, or grievances about this course or require ADA accommodation.

Course completion & CE information:

Course completion requirements: Social workers and Professional Counselors must attend the entire course and complete a course evaluation to be eligible for CE credit.

Certificates of completion will be emailed within 7 business days of course completion.

CentrePointe Counseling, provider # 1586, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 02/28/2025 – 02/28/2028. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.

CentrePointe Counseling, Inc. is an approved sponsor of The Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners for continuing education credits for licensed social workers in Maryland. Social Workers and Professional Counselors should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval for continuing education credits.

CentrePointe Counseling, Inc. has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6569. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CentrePointe Counseling, Inc. is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.