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Online Course

Grief Therapy Advanced Certification Course: The Latest in Neuroscience, Somatics, Unresolved Grief, and Identity Reclamation

$299.99 Standard

Everything You're Getting

  • More than 20 hours of content
  • Up to 18.75 CE credits
  • Certificate of completion
  • Certification through Evergreen Certification

Meet Your Experts

Mary-Frances O'Connor, PhD

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Mary Frances O’Connor, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab. She earned a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona in 2004 and following a faculty appointment at UCLA, she returned to the University of Arizona in 2012. Her research focuses on the neurobiological, cardiovascular, and immune response to bereavement. She believes that a clinical science approach toward the experience and physiology of grief can improve psychological treatment. Dr. O’ Connor’s first book, The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss (2022; HarperOne) has garnered praise from peers and literary critics alike and has led to speaking engagements around the world. Her new book, The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing was published in February, 2025.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Mary-Frances O'Connor has an employment relationship with the University of Arizona and receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Mary-Frances O'Connor has no relevant non-financial relationships.

 

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Erica H Sirrine, PhD, LCSW, FT

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Dr. Erica Sirrine is a licensed clinical social worker with over 25 years of experience in the field of death, dying, and bereavement. She earned a PhD in social work and has been awarded the distinction of Fellow in Thanatology by the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Dr. Sirrine has conducted and published research on grief and bereavement, including a study on college student experiences of loss amid the COVID-19 pandemic that was published in OMEGA: Journal of Death and Dying and featured in TIME magazine. She maintains a blog on grief and is the author of Sammy’s Story, an anticipatory grief counseling book for young children experiencing the serious illness of a parent.

Dr. Sirrine has extensive expertise providing individual and group therapy to children, adolescents, adults, and families experiencing illness and loss. She has implemented numerous interventions and programs aimed at improving the emotional health of clients and currently serves as the director of social work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dr. Sirrine frequently presents seminars on bereavement and loss throughout the United States and is known for her interactive and engaging workshops.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Erica Sirrine has employment relationships with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She receives royalties as a self-published author and a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Erica Sirrine is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers, the National Alliance for Children’s Grief, and the National Association of Social Workers.
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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.

 

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Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge, PsyD, RN

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At the age of twenty-eight, my husband was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and was expected to live only another one to two years. At that time, I gained momentum to finish my doctoral degree to become a licensed psychologist so I could better provide for my 18-month-old baby girl and my husband. Rick actually lived for 18 years and died when our daughter was in her first semester of college. Throughout Rick’s terminal diagnosis, I knew I would ultimately be widowed at mid-life, so I chose to do my dissertation on grief and bereavement. Upon graduation, I began my career as a clinical psychologist at Pine Rest Mental Health Services, Grand Rapids, MI. Responsibilities included testing and psychotherapy with the adult population, but I did some work with adolescents as well, particularly in the areas of family conflict and eating disorders. Throughout my career in outpatient services, I specialized in loss, dying and grief issues while also providing services to help people deal with adjustment to chronic medical conditions, dealing with terminal illness, treatment of anxiety, depression and self-esteem issues including abuse components, as well as marital, family and work conflicts.

In 1997, I co-authored a book on spousal loss with Dr. Robert DeVries, a pastor and seminary professor who had also been widowed at mid-life. We eventually married and developed a dedicated mission to bereaved individuals through our writing, speaking, training, and teaching. From the time of our marriage to the present, we have continued to be very involved in conducting educational grief support groups, consulting and speaking at churches and other organizations on grief and bereavement issues, as well as presenting at major national conferences across the country. We have presented workshops on various aspects of counseling for the bereaved and a number of professional organizations, such as The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) as well as the National Funeral Directors Association, the Association of Death Education and Counseling, the International Parish Nurse Symposium, the International Conference on Death and Bereavement (La Crosse, WI), and National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, along with several others.

Since 2012, we took up residence in the bustling Atlanta, GA area for 6 to 8 months of the year because of family there, returning to beautiful West Michigan for the summer months. I am fully licensed as a psychologist in both Michigan and Georgia, and since Covid have been able to see clients both in person and virtually. I also have had short term reciprocity in a number of other states during the active Covid pandemic, and many states continue to offer that option.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge maintains a private practice. She receives royalties as a published author. Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge has no relevant non-financial relationships.

More taught by Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge, PsyD, RN

Tiffani Dilworth, LPC, CAGCS, FT

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Tiffani Dilworth, LPC, CAGCS, FT, is a successful psychotherapist, author, and sought-after speaker on topics related to grief, PTSD, and sexual assault. Ms. Dilworth received her master’s in community counseling from Oklahoma State University. She’s a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who specializes in PTSD, grief, and sexual trauma. She’s a Fellow in Thanatology and a Certified Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist.

Ms. Dilworth is an international speaker who’s worked with various organizations, schools, universities, and corporations to bring awareness to the grieving process and to teach countless people how to live alongside their grief. In addition to facilitating trainings for the United States Air Force Chaplain Team, Ms. Dilworth also maintains a private practice.

Drawing on her rich clinical experience, Ms. Dilworth incorporates the most current information on the process of grieving with evidence-based and innovative treatment techniques that clinicians can immediately use in their practice. She’s the author of the books 11 Tools to Help Manage the Aftermath of Trauma and Types of Grief and is the host of Managing My Grief podcast.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Tiffani Dilworth has an employment relationship with Pristine Advancements, LLC. and receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Tiffani Dilworth has no relevant non-financial relationships.

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Marianela Medrano, PhD, LPC

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Dr. Marianela Medrano was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and has lived in Connecticut since 1990. A poet and a writer of nonfiction and fiction, she holds a PhD in psychology. Her literary work as appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines in Latin America, Europe, and the United States. She is the founder of Palabra Counseling & Training Center, LLC. Her TEDTALK at Ursuline College speaks about her work and research on the Taino people: youtube.com.

Dr. Medrano has trained in mindfulness and spirituality in a variety of settings. She is a mindful eating instructor/facilitator. Additionally, she is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield through The Sounds True Foundation, a program for teaching awareness and compassion-based practices. She serves as a mentor/supervisor for the International Federation for Biblio/poetry therapy, IFBPT.

Dr. Medrano has lectured in many countries, including Spain, India, Colombia, El Salvador, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. She has worked with various populations and on various mental health issues, including drug and alcohol addiction, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and family/marriage counseling.

In 2023, Dr. Medrano received a grant from the Bess Family Foundation, which she is using to investigate mindfulness as a vehicle to advance ecological initiatives focused on interspecies care in the Dominican Republic.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Marianela Medrano maintains a private practice and is a faculty mentor with South-Western College. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Marianela Medrano is a blogger with the American Counseling Association.

More taught by Marianela Medrano, PhD, LPC

Alex Mammadyarov, LMHC, EdM, MA

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Alex Mammadyarov is a New York-based licensed mental health counselor and writer specializing in grief. Alex works in private practice, providing trauma-informed and multi-culturally responsive individual psychotherapy to adults. Alex is passionate about holding sacred space through parent loss process groups for young adults. In 2019, Alex founded an online platform providing writings and psychoeducation on loss and grief, which continues to thrive today. Alex holds a dual master’s degree in counseling psychology and mental health counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University. Additionally, Alex has obtained training as a death doula from Alua Arthur’s Going with Grace End of Life Training Program.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Alex Mammadyarov maintains a private practice. She has an employment relationship with Intuitive Healing Psychotherapy Practice and is an author with New Harbinger Publications, Inc. She receives compensation as an influencer of Option B. Alex Mammadyarov receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Alex Mammadyarov has no relevant non-financial relationships.
More taught by Alex Mammadyarov, LMHC, EdM, MA

Megan Devine, LPC

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Psychotherapist Megan Devine is a celebrated speaker, best-selling author, and a pioneer in the movement for a kinder, more human approach to grief – from life-altering losses to the everyday grief that we don’t call grief. With an audience in the millions, Megan’s ability to make complex emotional issues acceptable, relatable, and a lot less awkward has made her a sought-after leader. Known for her insight and practical guidance, she serves as a consultant to the entertainment and healthcare industries, speaks and teaches across disciplines, and maintains a select private practice.

Megan’s books, It’s OK that You’re Not OK, and How to Carry What Can’t Be Fixed, are the best-selling books on grief in over a decade, with nearly a million copies sold. Her work has been featured in The Atlantic, APM’s Marketplace, SELF, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNBC, NPR, Harvard Business Review, Stanford University, GQ magazine, Oprah Daily, and many others. Find her at megandevine.co and refugeingrief.com.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Megan Devine is the founder and CEO of Refuge in Grief. She maintains a private practice and is the on-line advisor/author of Empowering Parents, and is the creator and host of It’s Ok that You’re Not OK with Megan Devine. She receives royalties as a published author. Megan Devine receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Megan Devine has no relevant non-financial relationships.

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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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Kelsey Sawyer, MA, BC-DMT, RYT-200

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My name is Kelsey Sawyer and I am the founder of Riverbend Grief Movement LLC. I have been a dancer my whole life and realized how healing dance and movement could be for grief at a young age after experiencing multiple deaths of important people in my life. This led me on a path to becoming a Board Certified Dance Movement Therapist and Yoga Teacher who specializes in grief, to not only integrate these losses myself, but connect with and support others who are grieving in a more embodied way.

More taught by Kelsey Sawyer, MA, BC-DMT, RYT-200

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Media Type:
Online Course
Product Code:
CRS002039
Duration:
20 hours, 3 minutes
Copyright:
Jul 08, 2024

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