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Online Course

Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist (CAGCS) Certification

$299.99 Standard

Everything You're Getting


  • More than 26 hours of content
  • CE information to come
  • Handouts and resources
  • Certification through Evergreen Certification

Meet Your Experts


Diana Sebzda, LPC, FT

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Diane Sebzda, LPC, FT, is a licensed professional counselor with betterhelp.com, where she provides individual counseling for those coping with grief, anticipatory grief, and pet loss. In addition to 22 years of grief counseling experience, Diana also has over 15 years of experience as a veterinary technician where she’s witnessed the impacts of end of life and pet loss firsthand. Diana has been published in Healthy Pet Magazine and is a Fellow in Thanatology (FT) with the Association for Death Education and Counseling (where she is co-chair of their Pet Loss Networking Group). Diana earned her MA degree in Applied Clinical Psychology from William Patterson University.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Diana Sebzda is a counselor with BetterHelp.com. She receives compensation as a speaker and consultant. Diana Sebzda receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Diana Sebzda is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling.

Christina Zampitella, PsyD, FT

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Christina Zampitella, PsyD, FT is a licensed clinical psychologist, Fellow in Thanatology, and founder of the Center for Grief and Trauma Therapy. She serves as an adjunct professor and international professional speaker, with a particular passion for training and mentoring emerging mental health professionals. Dr. Zampitella is also the host of her podcast Phoenix Rising with Dr. Z.


Her clinical practice, research, course development, and teaching focus on bereavement studies, meaning reconstruction, nature-based therapy, and integrative psychology. She has served as Chair of the Continuing Education Committee for multiple professional organizations and is a faculty member at the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, where she holds certifications in grief therapy through meaning reconstruction as well as in non-death losses within the meaning reconstruction framework.


Dr. Zampitella previously served as the resident psychologist for Channel 5 News in San Diego and has appeared on NBC News in both California and Delaware. Her work has been featured in Elle Magazine, BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post, The New York Post, and several Delaware publications.
 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Christina Zampitella is the owner of The Center for Grief and Trauma Therapy and has employment relationships with National University, Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, and Goldey-Beacom College. She receives a speaking honorarium from Professional Psycho Seminars, TZKZ Seminars, TATRA, and eCare. She is the founder and host of Phoenix Rising with Dr. Z. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Christina Zampitella serves on the advisory committee for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and the National University's Integrative Psychology Bachelor's Degree Program. She is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Delaware Psychological Association. She is a fellow with the Association for Death Education and Counseling.  

 

Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC

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Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC

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. clairebidwellsmith.com.


Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Claire Bidwell Smith maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Conscious Grieving Inc. She receives royalties as a published author. Claire Bidwell Smith receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Claire Bidwell Smith is a board member of The End Well Foundation.

 

Alissa Drescher, LPC, FT, GC-C, MA

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Alissa Drescher, LPC, FT, GC-C, MA, is a highly sought after speaker addressing topics related to grief and mourning, and is known for her creative, interactive, and story-telling presentation style. She began working in the field of bereavement services in 2006, offering encouragement to grieving parents. Alissa’s passion for supporting people through the grief process led to counseling both grieving children and adults in individual and group settings.

At the Tristesse Grief Center in Tulsa, OK, she served as senior program director, overseeing a variety of programming including the Healing Hearts Camp, Oklahoma’s first overnight camp for grieving children and teens (now Camp Erin Tulsa). Alissa was an adjunct professor at Southern Nazarene University teaching several undergraduate counseling courses including Death, Grief and Loss. After relocating to Tennessee, Alissa became the founder/executive director of the Grief Center of Middle Tennessee, whose mission is to help children, teens, and adults cope with loss and change.

Alissa is a Fellow in Thanatology: Death, Dying & Bereavement and holds a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy with a focus in Play Therapy. She is also a member of the Association of Death Education and Counseling and the National Alliance for Grieving Children.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Alissa Drescher has an employment relationship with Alive Hospice. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Alissa Drescher is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the American Counseling Association, and the National Alliance for Grieving Children.

Rita Schulte, LPC

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Rita Schulte is a licensed professional board-certified counselor. She received her B.S. in psychology and a master's degree in counseling from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Rita has a private practice in Fairfax where she specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety/depressive disorders as well as grief, loss, and trauma. In April 2011, she launched Heartline Podcast where she talks with top leaders in the Christian counseling and literary world about cutting edge issues affecting the hearts and lives of people today. She also airs a 1-minute devotional spot Consider This coming to KLZ radio this fall. She is the author of several books: Shattered: Finding Hope and Healing through the losses of Life, Imposter, Think This not That and forthcoming in 2021, Surviving Suicide Loss: Making Your Way Beyond the Ruins (Moody Publishers). Rita is a speaker for PESI, ACA, AACC, and many other organizations.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Rita Schulte receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Rita Schulte is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselor's and the American Counseling Association.

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Media Type:
Online Course
Product Code:
CRS001581
Duration:
26 hours, 50 minutes
Copyright:
Apr 21, 2022

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We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please call our Customer Service Department for more information at 1-800-844-8260.

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