About this course

Learning Objectives

• 1. Define grief and explain the evolution of grief as a clinical issue and diagnostic consideration, including William Worden's Tasks of Mourning framework.
• 2. Differentiate traumatic grief from normative grief by identifying key characteristics of traumatic grief and applying SAMHSA's Three E's of Trauma framework to loss-related presentations.
• 3. Identify common obstacles to healthy grieving that interfere with integration, including attachment-related issues, loss of connection to the deceased, fear of emotional experience, and trauma symptoms that promote avoidance.
• 4. Apply the eight phases of EMDR to grief and loss work, recognizing special considerations when addressing single-event traumatic loss versus complex trauma histories involving either the client or the deceased.
• 5. Implement appropriate target selection and processing strategies for traumatic death, including identification of primary targets (e.g., death notification, discovering the body), formulation of negative cognitions, and use of cognitive interweaves when blocking beliefs or looping occurs.

Learning Levels

• Intermediate: This course is designed for clinicians who have taken the basic EMDR training, or EMDR advanced training(s).

Target Audience

Course Instructor(s)

• Carolyn Lenz, LMHC, EMDRC

  Licensed Mental Health Counselor

References

• A. Dobo, personal communication, July 27, 2026
• Boelen, P. A., Olff, M., & Smid, G. E. (2019). Traumatic loss: Mental health consequences and implications for treatment and prevention. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 10, Article 1591331. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1591331
• Eisma, M. C. (2023). Prolonged grief disorder in ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR: Challenges and controversies. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 57(7), 944–951. https://doi.org/10.1177/00048674231154206
• Ince, H. Y., & Balon, R. (2024). Bowlby's four phases of mourning through Krzysztof Kieślowski's Blue. Academic Psychiatry, 48, 89–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-023-01927-x
• Lewis, C. S. (n.d.). A grief observed. Project Gutenberg Canada. https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/lewiscs-agriefobserved/lewiscs-agriefobserved-00-h.html
• Mayo Clinic. (2021). Complicated grief — Symptoms and causes. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/complicated-grief/symptoms-causes/syc-20360374
• Neria, Y., & Litz, B. T. (2004). Bereavement by traumatic means: The complex synergy of trauma and grief. Journal of Loss & Trauma, 9(1), 73–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325020490255322
• NeuroLaunch. (2024, September 12). Attachment theory and grief: Navigating loss through the lens of relationships. https://neurolaunch.com/attachment-theory/grief
• Prigerson, H. G. (2023, May 4–5). Grief [Presentation slides]. 11th Annual Great Lakes Palliative Care Conference, Milwaukee, WI. Medical College of Wisconsin, Office of Continuing and Professional Education. https://ocpe.mcw.edu/sites/default/files/course/2023-05/Prigerson%20-%20Grief%20-%20GLPCC%202023_0.pdf
• Prigerson, H. G. (2023, May 4–5). Prolonged grief disorder (PGD): Diagnosis, risks, resources & interventions [PowerPoint slides]. 11th Annual Great Lakes Conference, Lake Geneva, WI. https://ocpe.mcw.edu/sites/default/files/course/2023-05/Prigerson%20-%20Grief%20-%20GLPCC%202023_0.pdf
• Shapiro, F. (2003). The adaptive information processing model and case conceptualization. EMDRIA Conference. Denver, CO, United States.
• Shapiro, F. (2018). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). The Guilford Press.
• Simple and Practical Medical Education. (2023). DSM-5-TR® diagnostic criteria for prolonged grief disorder. Simple and Practical Mental Health. https://simpleandpractical.com/prolonged-grief-disorder-diagnostic-criteria/
• Solomon, R. (n.d.). EMDR therapy for grief and mourning. EMDR International Association. https://www.emdria.org/blog/emdr-therapy-for-grief-and-mourning
• Solomon, R. M., & Rando, T. A. (2012). Treatment of grief and mourning through EMDR: Conceptual considerations and clinical guidelines. Revue Européenne de Psychologie Appliquée, 62(4), 231–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erap.2012.09.002
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA's concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach (HHS Publication No. SMA 14-4884). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://coresonline.org/sites/default/files/documents/samhsas_concept_of_trauma_and_guidance_for_a_trauma-informed_approach.pdf
• The Loss Foundation. (n.d.). Tasks of mourning (William Worden). https://www.thelossfoundation.org
• Wolfelt, A. D. (2024). Grieving vs. mourning. TAPS. https://www.taps.org/articles/24-3/grieving-vs-mourning
• Yuval Neria (New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons) and Brett T. Litz (Boston Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine).