The Universal Nature of Grief
This webinar will identify normal ways grief is expressed and how complex it can be when treating people from communities of color. Grief is not something that our culture embraces, and the message is often to get over it or move on. However, grief ignored doesn’t just disappear, and losses can actually accumulate. People who take advantage of space to grieve generally report a decrease in their presenting symptoms, and counselors can provide much needed space for those who are grieving.
As with most underserved communities, there are challenges with seeking help and ingrained messages around vulnerability that can impact the recovery process. Having an awareness of this and the skills to treat trauma is key to treating clients who are grieving. Many of the clients presenting often have a trauma background or are dealing with traumatic loss.
The presenter will provide information on how counselors can normalize what their clients are experiencing related to grief. In addition to grief, other types of losses will be described. Participants will gain awareness of the layers this adds to the grieving process, especially in communities of color. This presentation will go over two grief models and will discuss myths around grief and how they can interfere with the grief recovery process. Participants will gain an understanding of strategies to use and interventions to treat grief. Additionally, participants will gain efficacy in their ability to sit with clients who are grieving.
Participants will be able to:
- Identify the domains of the common reactions to typical grief and be able to normalize these for their clients.
- Explain how other types of losses impact one who is grieving.
- Utilize practical ways of treating clients who are grieving.
Renee Powers-Scott, MSEd, LPC
Renee Powers-Scott received her master's degree from Eastern Illinois University. She has over 30 years of experience treating trauma, addiction, and loss. She has worked in a variety of settings to develop her expertise and is currently in private practice. She is passionate about grief recovery and generational trauma recovery for underserved populations. She believes it is possible to come to terms with these losses in a way that redefines purpose and perspective in a way that is life affirming.
Renee facilitated a grief group for 7 years, and she has been supervising for the last 13 years. Early on, she recognized the need for more than talk therapy and has been trained in EMDR, Brainspotting, and Somatic work. Additional clinical interests include attachment, self-compassion, and the importance of self-care and its pivotal role in physical, spiritual, and psychological well-being. She infuses self-care strategies into her work with others as much as possible.
Another aspect of Renee’s work is providing supervision for provisionally licensed counselors, which she has been doing for many years. She enjoys helping counselors find and develop their voice.
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Each state sets its own requirements for licensure, including continuing education requirements to maintain licensure. Questions about CE requirements for state licensure should be directed to your state board. You can find their contact information on our state board directory.
