SW 580D - Grief, Loss and Bereavement

Credits: 3

This on-line course will familiarize students with the bio-psycho-social-cultural and spiritual contexts of grief, loss and bereavement. In addition to gaining knowledge and intervention skills in working with clients across the lifespan who are confronted with death, dying, and complicated and uncomplicated bereavement, students will also gain knowledge and intervention skills in working with individuals and families who are coping with normative losses, including life/role transitions, divorce, economic hardship, illness, and foster placement and adoption. Gender, racial, ethnic, and religious influences that affect grief and loss reactions will be explored, as well as appropriate culturally-sensitive practice interventions. A number of theoretical perspectives will be reviewed as frameworks for understanding varying reactions to death and loss and for treating the bereaved. Students will also be asked to consider their own experiences with loss and death, and how these experiences may affect their work with clients. This on-line course will have both synchronous and asynchronous formats. That is, there will be two or three classes that will require that all students sign on at a particular time, while the majority of classes will allow flexibility as to when students may log on to complete course work (e.g., to post discussion board threads, upload power points, etc.). All students will need access to a computer in order to complete the course. Prerequisites: foundation courses. Offered: spring.