Losing a loved one to homicide is like dropping a treasured piece of pottery; in an instant your whole being shatters. This shattering impacts physical, emotional, and spiritual health. This workshop will provide an overview of grief and trauma, while addressing specifically how death by homicide diverges from other types of grief. You will learn how to help your clients through disenfranchised, ambiguous, and traumatic loss, all common to the grief experience of homicide. By weaving in psycho education, real-life case studies and discussions, this workshop will provide tools and information that participants can use immediately in their work with homicide survivors. Just as in the Japanese art form, Kintsugi, which takes a broken piece of pottery and repairs it with precious metals to create something new and beautiful, this workshop will teach you how to help your clients reclaim meaning and joy in their lives after losing a loved one to homicide.

Instructor: Laurie Blair, LICSW

Laurie has over 25 years of nonprofit experience in a range of disciplines including: disability rights and inclusive services, the arts, international development, fundraising and project management. Laurie brings comprehensive clinical experience in homicide bereavement and crisis intervention spending nearly five years at the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office’s Family Bereavement Center working with survivors of homicide and 2.5 years at the Baltimore Child and Adolescent Response program at Catholic Charities. Laurie is currently a Grief and Trauma Psychotherapist at the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing.

Price: $135, 4 CEs (live, interactive webinar)

Refunds issued up to 30 days in advance; less a $25 fee for administrative costs.

Questions: Call Melissa Sellevaag, LICSW, 202-204-5033 or email Training@wendtcenter.org

Additional Information:

This workshop is a live, interactive webinar with video and audio capabilities enabled for both participants and instructors. Participants will have the ability to comment and ask questions both verbally and in the chat feature and will receive real-time communication from the instructor or co-facilitator in response. The instructor will frequently invite engagement from participants through use of the chat, reactions, and/or poll features.

Workshop Agenda -

• 10:00 to 10:10 Introductions and Pre-test
• 10:10 to 10:40 Homicide as Traumatic Loss: Disenfranchised Grief, Trauma Basics, Impact of Trauma on Grief
• 10:40 to 10:55 Systemic Interactions related to Homicide Loss
• 10:55 to 11:00 Break
• 11:00 to 12:00 Systemic Interactions Continued and Clinical Themes and Cultural Considerations
• 12:00 to 1:00 Lunch
• 1:00 to 1:30 Clinical Themes and Cultural Considerations Continued
• 1:30 to 2:00 Importance of Self/Presence in Grief Treatment
• 2:00 to 2:20 Supporting grieving parents with children
• 2:20 to 2:30 Break
• 2:30 to 3:30 Case Studies and Questions

Learning Objectives -

After attending this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Discuss unique nature and common symptomology of homicide bereavement,
2. Identify the systemic forces impacting the clinical treatment of homicide bereavement,
3. List psychoeducation tools and interventions to be used with clients in homicide bereavement therapy.

Target Audience - Licensed mental health professionals

Content Level - Intermediate

CE Information -

The Wendt Center for Loss and Healing, 1737, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The Wendt Center for Loss and Healing maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: March 13, 2020 - March 13, 2021. Social workers completing this course receive 4 continuing education credits.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What happens to my registration fee if the training is cancelled?

In the event that a training needs to be canceled or postponed due to low enrollment participants will be notified and offered a refund or a transfer of registration.

What is your inclement weather policy?

The Wendt Center follows the Federal Government for all closures and delays. In the event the Federal Government is closed the training will be canceled and rescheduled. Participants will be offered a refund or a transfer of registration to the new date. If the Federal Government has a delayed opening the training will begin on time as scheduled.

What are the requirements for completing this course?

At the beginning of the training, participants will complete a pre-test to measure learning. Participants are required to attend for the entire duration of the workshop, signing in and out for the workshop and a lunch break. After the workshop is completed, participants will be required to complete an evaluation and post-test.

What is the process for receiving my certificate?

Participants will receive a link for an evaluation and post-test by email within one hour of the workshop conclusion. Once participants have electronically completed their evaluation and post-test, they will be sent a certificate for continuing education units by email within a week of completion. A participant's receipt of their certificate is not contingent upon achieving a particular score on their post-test.

How can I request a refund?

Course participants may request a refund up to 30 days prior to the training date. The registration fee, less a $25 administrative fee will be refunded. To request a refund within this timeframe, please e-mail training@wendtcenter.org. Refunds will be issued electronically within approximately one week of your request.

How do I request an accommodation?

The Wendt Center’s training facilities are handicap accessible. Individuals needing special accommodations, please contact the Director of Training, Melissa Sellevaag at msellevaag@wendtcenter.org.

How can I file a complaint or grievance about the course or instructor?

The Wendt Center seeks to ensure equitable treatment of every person and to make every attempt to resolve grievances in a fair and transparent manner. Therefore, we are eager to address any refund requests, complaints about course content, speakers, facilities, non-receipt of certificates, and any other occurrences. To submit all other grievances, please send a written summary of the incident to Emily Prusator, LICSW at eprusator@wendtcenter.org. All grievances will be documented and actions taken to address any grievances will be recorded. These records can be made available to the ASWB ACE program for review upon request. Grievances will receive, to the best of our ability, corrective action in order to prevent further problems. A copy of this policy is available on promotional material and upon request.