ACT for grief

If we are fortunate enough to experience love in our lives – be it for a partner, a parent, a child, or a pet – then it is likely that we will eventually encounter loss and the accompanying pain. This process is universal and entirely natural. Cultures across time have recognised that compassion, companionship, rituals, and practical assistance play crucial roles in coping with such challenges.

Some individuals may find themselves ‘stuck’ in grief, where the intensity persists for months or even years, hindering their ability to re-engage with significant aspects of their lives.

Those experiencing prolonged grief often require additional support to help them reconstruct a fulfilling life despite loss. Various established forms of professional assistance are available, whether during the initial stages of grief or when long-term challenges arise.

ACT is a powerful model for working with grief and the combination of active acceptance, and a values driven stance creates a healing therapeutic context. However, key questions still arise when using ACT with grief:

• How do I deal with intense outpouring of emotions in an ACT consistent way?
• How do I manage fusion with popular grief myths?
• When should I encourage committed actions in relation to grief?
• What do I do when the client can’t let go of their grief?

What you will gain from this workshop

Our speaker, Dr. Ray Owen, is the acclaimed author of the award-winning book “Living with the Enemy,” and a consultant clinical health psychologist with more than 30 years of expertise in cancer, end-of-life care, and chronic illness. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with grieving individuals, bringing forth a wealth of skills and experience that will be invaluable during this training event.

This workshop promises to be not only profound and heartfelt but also intensely practical, equipping you with the tools to effectively support your clients as they navigate their grief journey in a healthy and constructive manner.

In this 3-hour workshop you will learn:

• How to utilise active acceptance and defusion to facilitate the progression of grief
• Methods to address anticipatory grief effectively
• When and how to apply specific ‘grief tools’ like letters to the deceased or memory boxes
• Techniques for identifying and addressing grief related to various events such as job loss, unexpected outcomes like miscarriage, or when a child is born with a significant disability
• Approaches for working with individuals who are not yet prepared or resistant to moving forward
• Strategies for accommodating clients’ religious beliefs
• Tactics for managing common grief-related emotions, such as heightened expression or emotional detachment
• Methods for helping clients skilfully navigate intense pain both during and outside of sessions

Who will benefit from this workshop?

Meant for practitioners who have already had basic introductory training in ACT, we recommend this workshop for all mental health professionals including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, nurse practitioners, coaches, therapists, counsellors, GPs, youth workers, and OTs.

Feedback from previous attendees

“Excellent and very valuable. It’s so nice to have so much talk of palliative setting as there are so few courses which focus on this. Thanks so much”

Nikki, Palliative care physiotherapist

“It was friendly and accessible – not always easy to achieve in the online format.”

Dr Brett Grellier, counselling psychologist.

“Inspiring and instructive”

John Foran, chartered psychologist (Ps.S.I.)

Group booking discounts

Contextual Consulting offer discounts for groups of people from the same organisation e.g. an NHS Trust that does not have a contract arrangement with us.

Please email us here  to arrange a group discount or find out more about our CPD contracts here.