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Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 670 – Grief, Loss, Death, and Dying in Social Work Practice – Fall B 2021

Credits - 3

Description

An interdisciplinary course on death and dying, we will explore the death system, funerals, economic considerations of death, care of the dying and the bereaved of all ages, psychological dynamics dealing with the death, and ultimate questions in relationship to death and bereavement. The course will examine the basic principles of palliative care, bereavement and grief in all age groups, suicide and grief, issues around refugee and immigrant experience with death, various philosophical and religious understandings of death, meaning of life, ethical issues related to the care of the dying and the bereaved. We will explore the nature of grief and loss, the personal characteristics of effective practitioners, communication skills used in practice, the goals and techniques of practice with people who are grieving, approaches to helping those who are dying, and specific interventions that are helpful to bereaved clients in cases of prolonged grief, mourning a child or those whose deaths were stigmatized or unanticipated. Students will explore their own personal, cultural, and spiritual experiences, beliefs and values around death and dying.

Materials

Required:

Werth, J., James L. (2013;2012;). Counseling clients near the end of life: A practical guide for mental health professionals. Springer Publishing Company. (ebook access through Library)

Worden, J. William (2018). Grief counseling and grief therapy: a handbook for the mental health practitioner, 5th ed. Springer Publishing Company (ebook access through Library)

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:

  1. Demonstrates ethical and professional behavior.
  2. Advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
  3. Engage in anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) in practice.
  4. Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
  5. Engage in policy practice.
  6. Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
  7. Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
  8. Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
  9. Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course, students will:

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of palliative, end-of-life care and bereavement principles and practices and how they are influenced by differential and development factors across the life course, and also individualized according to each patient and family; Program Outcomes 1, 2, 3 EPAS 2, 8
  2. Demonstrate knowledge of how definitions of health (e.g., culture of medicine, WHO definition of health) influence approaches to palliative, end-of-life and bereavement practices as well as how they impact disparities across class and culture in gaining access to quality of life care; Program Outcomes 3 EPAS 2
  3. Apply a range of cross-disciplinary theories of grief and loss to practice with grieving clients and utilize advanced knowledge of relational and empowering theories for practice with individuals, families, and communities faced with circumstances of loss, death and grief, and with health care organizations that deliver services to this diverse population; Program Outcomes 1, 2, 3 EPAS 6, 8 
  4. Apply knowledge, skills and cultural humility with dying and grieving clients and families that are sensitive to their diverse beliefs and customs associated with death, loss, and grieving; Program Outcomes 1, 2 EPAS 2
  5. Apply knowledge of medical ethics and decision-making methods for examining ethical dilemmas that surface in end-of-life and palliative care, and with grieving clients and families; Program Outcomes 6 EPAS 1
  6. Demonstrate competent, empathic and culturally sensitive communication skills for having difficult conversations with seriously ill and dying clients and their families, and with grievers; Program Outcomes 1, 2, 5 EPAS 2
  7. Demonstrate self-reflective practice evidenced by the capacity to identify, explain, and reevaluate underlying assumptions, values and beliefs that affect work with dying and grieving client systems; Program Outcomes 4, EPAS 1
  8. Demonstrate knowledge of the value of interdisciplinary teams in palliative care and end-of-life practice including appreciation for the different and complementary knowledge, skills and values of other health caregivers; Program Outcomes 7 EPAS 1, 8

Assignments

Reflection and Art Assignment Journals

There will be two types of journals in this course.

Death & Grief Depiction Art Assignment (Weeks 1 and 8)

During Weeks 1 and 8, you will complete an art project that depicts “what death looks like.” This can be of any creative expression or form, such as an abstract or pictorial drawing, painting, poetry, collage, musical composition, video, etc, and must be your own original work, created specifically for this class. 

Potential Materials Needed Depending on Choice of Art Form: 

  • A blank sketchbook, poster board
  • Felt tip pens, colored pencils, oil pastels, crayons; clay
  • Use oil pastels if you wish to be able to blend colors on the page, smearing them with your fingers. You can also lay one color over another for a vibrant, intense effect. Felt-tip pens are good too. Chalk pastels are quick and soft in hue but get pretty messy in a notebook.
  • Depending on your selected medium, you may also choose to use a video camera and recorder, musical instrument, or any other item to help capture and showcase your artistic expression

Reflective Journal Entry: Letter-Writing (Week 5)

Therapeutic letter-writing has been proven by research to be a highly effective and cathartic means of processing and working through emotions of any kind. One particular grief therapy technique that is commonly given to clients who are presenting with grief and loss issues as a homework assignment is to write a letter to the deceased loved one. This is intended to help clients facilitate their grief, process their painful emotions, make meaning of their grief experience, communicate messages, thoughts, and feelings to the deceased that may or may not have been spoken when he/she was alive, and help with the integration of the loss. This can be a very powerful exercise and will need lots of time in therapy to process.

Written Assignments: Fictional Case Formulation and Analysis Paper, Parts 1 and 2 (Due in Week 3 and Week 7)

For the first part of this assignment, you will visit a cemetery and take a photo of a gravestone of your choosing. If you are unable to visit a cemetery, please speak with your faculty member to come up with an alternate way for you meet the requirements of this assignment. It should be the gravestone of someone who has passed away, from any era in time, about whom you do not know anything. You will then write a fictional story about this deceased individual and a loved one who has sought you out to be their counselor for grief therapy. In your story, you will write background information about the deceased individual’s life as you imagine it, your fictional client’s relationship with the deceased, and the narrative/storyline leading up to the individual’s dying. You’ll also write about your client’s grief experience, utilizing insights gleaned from what you’ve learned so far in the class about the psychology of grief/loss, including but not limited to your client’s emotional reactions, meanings attributed to the loss, signs, and symptoms experienced, systemic impacts of the loss, etc. Please attach a photo of the gravestone you visited with your paper. Please include a commentary section in which you briefly share what your personal experience was like visiting the cemetery, including any insights, triggers, memories, takeaways that emerged from your visit and/or from completing this assignment. (4-5 pages in length)

For the second part of the assignment, you will select one grief therapy technique and conduct your own research using the optional textbooks or scholarly journal articles. You will describe the tenets of the selected grief therapy technique and its application in clinical treatment. Explain why this particular technique resonates with you and how you can see it being impactful. You will then provide your clinical impressions about the client’s presentation you wrote about in Part 1 using your knowledge about assessment and then demonstrate how you would apply your chosen grief therapy technique with your client via either transcript style or elaborate description of how you’d administer the strategy in a session. (6-8 pages in length)

All readings must be APA cited and included in your reference list. You may cite articles other than those chosen to discuss that reinforce or contradict your choices.

Weekly Discussions

Each week, there will be two discussion forums. For all discussions, cite the readings and multimedia in the module and additional references as required to support your initial post and responses to your peers.

Your first post must respond to the prompt.  The second and third posts should be reactions to other peers’ postings and deepen the discussion. The goal is for everyone to be actively engaged in this conversation.

Grading Policy

The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignment Point ValuePercent of final grade
Fictional Case Formulation and Case Analysis Papers300 points (150 pts each)30%
Discussions480 points (30 points x 2 x 8 weeks)48%
Reflective Journal: Art Journal Entries and Letter-Writing220 points (60 pts + 80 pts x 2) 22%
Total 1,000 points100%

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 94 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 93% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89% 3.50
B 84 – 86% 3.00
B- 80 – 83% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79% 2.50
C 74 – 76% 2.00
C- 70 – 73% 1.75
D 64 – 69% 1.00
F 00 – 63% 0.00

Schedule

Course Weeks: 

Course weeks run from 12:00 AM ET on Wednesday through 11:59 PM ET on Tuesday, with the exception of Week 8, which ends on Sunday at 11:59 PM ET. Unless otherwise specified, all discussion comments and assignments are due the last day of the week. Initial responses to discussion prompts are due by the end of Saturday unless otherwise noted. All times are in the Eastern Standard Time Zone—no exceptions.

  • Week 1: Oct 20 – Oct 26
  • Week 2: Oct 27 – Nov 2
  • Week 3: Nov 3 – Nov 9
  • Week 4: Nov 10 – Nov 16
  • Week 5: Nov 17 – Nov 23
  • Week 6: Nov 24 – Nov 30
  • Week 7: Dec 1 – Dec 7
  • Week 8: Dec 8 – Dec 12

Week 1: Introduction to Palliative Care and the Experience of Grief: Death, Loss, and Meaning from a Cultural Lens

Required Readings and Multimedia:

  • Textbook: Werth, Jr., J. (2013). Counseling clients near the end-of-life. Chapters 2 (pp. 25-46) and 6 (pp.121-138).
  • Textbook: Worden, J. (2018). Grief counseling and grief therapy, 5th ed. Introduction (pp. 1-10) and Chapter 1 (pp. 15-34).
  • Week 1 – Death, Grief and Loss (Slideshow presentation)
  • Browning, D. M. (2011). Sturdy for common things: Cultivating moral sensemaking on the front lines of practice. Journal of Medical Ethics, 38(4), 233-235.
  • Christ, G. H., Siegal, K. & Christ, A. C. (2002). Adolescent grief: It never really hit me … until it actually happened. JAMA, 288(10), 1269.
  • Fuchs, T. (2018). Presence in absence: the ambiguous phenomenology of grief. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 17(1), 43-63.
  • Hudson, B.F., Flemming, K. Shulman, C., Candy, B. (2016). Challenges to access and provision of palliative care for people who are homeless: a systematic review of qualitative research. BMC Palliative Care, 11(1), 2-18.
  • Jeste, D.V. & Graham, S. (2019). Is successful dying or good death an oxymoron? American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 27(5), 472-475.
  • Kunkel, A., Dennis, M.R., & Garner, B. (2014). Illustrating an integrated typology of meaning reconstruction in discourse: grief-related disclosures. Death Studies, 38(10), 623-636.
  • Martinez, M., Arantzamendi, M., Belar, A., Carrasco, J.M., Carvajal, A., Rullan, M, & Centeno, C. (2016). ‘Dignity therapy’, a promising intervention in palliative care: a comprehensive systematic literature review. Palliative Medicine, 31(6), 492-509.
  • Morss, S., Reder, E. A., McHale, JM, Clayton, TR, Silva, C. (2003). Caring for patients in an inner-city home hospice: Challenges and rewards. Home Health Care Management and Practice, 15(4), 291.
  • Olsman, E., Duggleby, W., Nekolaichuk, C., Willems, D., Gagnon, J., Kruizinga, R., Leget, C. (2014). Improving communication on hope in palliative care. A qualitative study of palliative care professionals’ metaphors of hope: grip, source, tune, and vision. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 48(5), 831-838.
  • Payne, M. (2009). Developments in end-of-life and palliative care social work: International issues. International Social Work, 52(4), 513-524.
  • Walter, T. (2010). Grief and culture: A checklist. Bereavement Care, 29(2), 5-9. doi:10.1080/02682621003707431.
  • NASW Standards for Social Work Practice in Palliative and End-of-life
  • WHO Definition of Palliative Care

Discussion questions

  • Multi-dimensional aspects of death, loss & grief
  • Health disparities at End-of-Life

Assignments

  • Introduced – Fictional Case Formulation & Case Analysis Paper (Part 1 due Week 3 and Part 2 due Week 7);
  • Submit Death & Grief Depiction Art Assignment (Journal) – First entry is due

Week 2: Grief and Loss: Stage Theories and Models

Required Readings and Multimedia

  • Textbook: Worden, J. (2018). Grief counseling and grief therapy, 5th ed. Chapters 2 and 3 (pp. 39-79).
  • Slideshow Presentation: Grief, Loss & Meaning
  • Attig, T. (2004). Meanings of death seen through the lens of grieving. Death Studies, 28(4), 341.
  • Corr, C.A. (2019). The ‘five stages’ in coping with dying and bereavement: strengths, weaknesses, and some alternatives. Mortality, 24(4), 405-417.
  • Goldsworthy, K. K. (2005). Grief and loss theory in social work practice: All changes involve loss, just as all losses involve change. Australian Social Work, 58(2), 167-178.
  • Federal Patient Self-Determination Act
  • Konrad, S. C. (2009). Loss in translation: A model for therapeutic engagement with grieving clients. Families in Society, 90(4), 407-412.
  • Noppe, I.C. (2000). Beyond broken bonds and broken hearts: the bonding of theories of attachment and grief. Developmental Review, 20(4), 514-538.
  • Åvik Persson, H., Sandgren, A., Fürst, C., Ahlström, G., Behm, L., Linnéuniversitetet, . . . Fakulteten för Hälso- och livsvetenskap (FHL). (2018). Early and late signs that precede dying among older persons in nursing homes: the multidisciplinary team’s perspective. BMC Geriatrics, 18(1), 1-11.
  • “Counselor Toolbox: Grief and Loss Overview” (video)
  • “Stages of Grief” (video)
  • “The 5 Stages of Grief: Elizabeth Kubler-Ross” (video)
  • “The Dual Process Model” (video) 
  • “The Ongoing Face of Grief and Loss and the Theory Behind It” (video) 

Discussion questions

  • Stage theories and models pertaining to grief/loss and the dying process
  • Kubler-Ross’ stage theory of grief/loss

Assignment

  • Continue working on Part 1 of the Fictional Case Formulation and Case Analysis Paper (due in Week 3)

Week 3: Types of Losses

Required Reading and Multimedia

  • Textbook: Werth, Jr., J. (2013). Counseling clients near the end-of-life. Chapter 10 (pp. 205-224).
  • Textbook: Worden, J. (2018). Grief Counseling and grief therapy, 5th ed. Chapters 5-7 (pp. 131-210).
  • Aldrich, S. & Kallivayalil, D. (2015). Traumatic grief after homicide: intersections of individual and community loss. Illness, Crisis, & Loss, 24(1), 15-33.
  • Bordere, T. (2017). Disenfranchisement and ambiguity in the face of loss: the suffocated grief of sexual assault survivors. Family Relations, 66(1), 29-45.
  • Boss, P. (2004). Ambiguous loss research, theory, and practice: Reflections after 9/11. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66(3), 551-566. doi:10.1111/j.0022-2445.2004.00037.x
  • Clements, P. T., DeRanieri, J. T., Vigil, G. J. & Benasutti, K. M. (2004). Life after death: Grief therapy after the sudden traumatic death of a family member. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 40(4), 149.
  • Csikai, E. L. & Manetta, A. A. (2002). Preventing unnecessary deaths among older adults: A call to action for social workers. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 38(3), 85.
  • Gutin, N. (2018). Helping survivors in the aftermath of suicide loss: Understanding what makes suicide grief unique is essential for treating surviving loved ones. Current Psychiatry, 17(8), 27-33.
  • Picard, C. (2002). Family reflections on living through the sudden death of a child. Nursing Science Quarterly, 15(3), 242-250.
  • Walter, T. (2005). What is complicated grief? A social constructionist perspective. Omega, 52(1), 71-79.
  • Williams, M. & Nichols, Q. (2017). Military families coping with death, dying, and grief issues. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 4(5), 1-12.
  • “Complicated grief after suicide bereavement and other causes of death: Results from the HEAL study” (video)
  • “Complicated grief and attachment: Episode 372, Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipe” (audio)

Discussion questions

  • Grieving sudden or unexpected losses
  • Cultural perceptions of child death in the U.S. and other countries

Assignment

  • Submit Part 1 of the Fictional Case Formulation and Case Analysis Paper

Week 4: Communicating Difficult Information

Required Readings and Multimedia

  • Slideshow Presentation: Difficult Conversations
  • Textbook: Werth, Jr., J. (2013). Counseling clients near the end-of-life. Chapter 4 (pp. 75-95).
  • Browning, D. M., Meyer, E. C., Truog, R. D., & Solomon, M. A. (2007). Difficult conversations in health care: Cultivating relational learning to address hidden curriculum. Academic Medicine, 82(9), 905-913.
  • Bruce, E. & Schultz, C. (2002). Non-finite loss and challenges to communication between parents and professionals. British Journal of Special Education, 29(1), 9-13.
  • Cohen, H. & Samp, J.A. (2017). Grief communication: exploring disclosure and avoidance across the developmental spectrum. Western Journal of Communication, 82(2), 238-257.
  • Casarett, D. J. & Quill, T. E. (2007). “I’m not ready for hospice”: Strategies for timely and effective hospice discussions. Annals of Internal Medicine, 146(6), 443-449.
  • Davenport, L. & Schopp, G. (2011). Breaking bad news: Communication skills for difficult conversations. JAAPA, 24(2), 46-50.
  • Herkert, B.M. (2000). Communicating grief. Omega, 41(2), 93-115.
  • Humbles, P. & Band, M.E. (2019). Saying goodbye: discussing end-of-life issues with the critically ill patient and family. Physician Assistant Clinics, 4(2), 477-485.
  • Lobar, S. L., Youngblut, J. M., & Brooten, D. (2006). Cross-cultural beliefs, ceremonies, and rituals surrounding death of a loved one. Pediatric Nursing, 32(1), 44-50.
  • Planalp, S. & Trost, M. R. (2008). Communication issues at the end-of-life: Reports from hospice volunteers. Health Communications, 23, 222-233.
  • Strom-Gottfried, K., & Mowbray, N. D. (2006). Who heals the helper? Facilitating the social worker’s grief. Families in Society, 87(1), 9-15. doi:10.1606/1044-3894.3479
  • Tyson, J. (2007). Compassion fatigue in the treatment of combat-related trauma during wartime. Clinical Social Work Journal, 35(3), 183-192. doi:10.1007/s10615-007-0095-3
  • Zilberfein, F. & Hurwitz, E. (2003). Clinical social work practice at the end of life. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 73(3), 299-326.
  • “A Good Death” (video)
  • “Moyers on Dying” Part I and Part II (videos)
  • “Talking About End of Life Care” (video)
  • “Communication Skills in Clinical Practice, Part 4: How to Break Bad News” (video)

Discussion questions

  • Disclosing bad news and/or supporting those who receive it
  • Reflection on videos: “Moyers on Dying” and “How to Break Bad News”

Assignment

  • Continue working on Part 2 of the Fictional Case Formulation and Case Analysis Paper (due in Week 7)

Week 5: Mental Illness with the Grief Experience and Pain Management at the End-of-Life

Required Reading and Multimedia

  • Textbook: Werth, Jr., J. (2013). Counseling clients near the end-of-life. Chapters 7 and 8 (pp.141-179).
  • Doka, K.J. (2010). Grief, multiple loss, and dementia. Bereavement Care, 23(3), 15-20.
  • Feldman, D.B. (2017). Stepwise psychosocial palliative care: a new approach to the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder at the end of life. Journal of Social Work in End of Life & Palliative Care, 13(2-3), 113-133.
  • Fernandez, M., Breen, L., & Simpson, T.A. (2014). Renegotiating identities: experiences of loss and recovery for women with bipolar disorder. Qualitative Health Research, 24(7), 890-900.
  • Furr, S.R., Johnson, W.D., & Goodall, C.S. (2015). Grief and recovery: the prevalence of grief and loss in substance abuse treatment. Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling, 36(1), 43-56.
  • Mauritz, M. & VanMeijel, B. (2009). Loss and grief in patients with schizophrenia: On living in another world. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 23(3), 251-260.
  • Parker, G., McGraw, S., & Paterson, A. (2015). Clinical features distinguishing grief from depressive episodes: a qualitative analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 176(1), 43-47.
  • “Grief, trauma, and personality-disordered symptoms: Episode 373, Dr. Dawn0Elise Snipes” (audio)
  • “Through a discipline lens: A psychiatry perspective on grief and loss” (video)

Discussion questions

  • Interrelationship between mental illness and grief
  • Pain management interventions

Assignments

  • Submit your Reflective Journal Entry: Letter-Writing
  • Continue working on Part 2 of the Fictional Case Formulation and Case Analysis Paper (due in Week 7)

Week 6: Assessment and Treatment for Grief Recovery

Required Reading and Multimedia

  • Textbook: Werth, Jr., J. (2013). Counseling clients near the end-of-life. Chapter 5 (pp. 101-118).
  • Textbook: Worden, J. (2018). Grief counseling and grief therapy, 5th ed. Chapter 4 (pp. 87-124).
  • Edgar-Bailey, M. & Kress, V.E. (2010). Resolving childhood and adolescent traumatic grief: creative techniques and interventions. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 5(2), 158-176.
  • Jordan, A.H. & Litz, B.T. (2014). Prolonged grief disorder: diagnostic, assessment, and treatment considerations. Professional Psychology: Research & Practice, 45(3), 180-187.
  • Peterson, N.L. & Goldberg, R.M. (2016). Creating relationship trees with grieving clients: an experiential approach to grief counseling. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 11(2), 198-212.
  • Rosner, R, Lumbeck, G., & Geissner, E. (2011). Effectiveness of an inpatient group therapy for comorbid complicated grief disorder. Psychotherapy Research, 21(2), 210-218.
  • Smid, G.E., Groen, S., DeLaRie, S.M., Kooper, S., & Boelen, P.A. (2018). Toward cultural assessment of grief and grief-related psychopathology. Psychiatric Services, 69(10), 1050-1052.
  • Wilson, J., James, H., & Gabriel, L. (2016). Making sense of loss and grief: The value of in-depth assessments. Bereavement Care, 35(2), 67-77. doi:10.1080/02682621.2016.1218127
  • “The grief recovery method: Helping clients move beyond grief” (video)

Discussion questions

  • Grief Assessment Instruments
  • Techniques, activities, and/or exercises for working with individuals, couples, families, and groups

Assignment

  • Continue working on Part 2 of the Fictional Case Formulation and Case Analysis Paper (due in Week 7)

Week 7: Planning for the End of Life, a Time of Difficult Decisions: Ethical Challenges and Advance Directives

Required Reading and Multimedia

  • Textbook: Werth, Jr., J. (2013). Counseling clients near the end-of-life. Chapter 1 (pp. 3-22) and Chapter 3 (pp. 53-70).
  • Dennis, M.K., Washington, K.T., & Koenig, T. (2014). Ethical dilemmas faced by hospice social workers. Social Work in Health Care, 53(10), 950-968.
  • Emanuel, L. & Glasser-Scandrett, K. (2010). Decisions at the end of life: Have we come of age? BMC Medicine, 8(1).
  • Ohs, J.E., Trees, A.R., & Kurian, N. (2017). Problematic integration and family communication about decisions at the end of life. Journal of Family Communication, 17(4), 356-371.
  • Perkins, H.S., Geppert, C.M.A., Gonzales, A., Cortez, J.D., & Hazuda, H.P. (2002). Cross-cultural similarities and differences in attitudes about advance care planning. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 17(1), 48-57.
  • Rosenberg, T. & Spiece, J. (2013). Integrating care when the end is near: ethical dilemmas in end-of-life care. Families, Systems, & Health, 31(1), 75-83.
  • Wallace, C.L., Thielman, K.J., Cimino, A.N., & Adams-Rueda, H.L. (2016). Ethics at the end of life: a teaching tool. Journal of Social Work Education, 53(2), 327-338.
  • Slideshow Presentation: EOL ethical decision-making
  • Slideshow Presentation: Approaches to social work ethical decision-making in end-of-life care
  • Types of Advance Directives
  • Federal Patient Self-Determination Act
  • “Decision-making for the dying: Choosing death” (video)
  • “Ethical dilemmas in end-of-life care: Dementia, death, & dying” (video)
  • “Terry Pratchett: Choosing to die” (audio)

Discussion questions

  • Ethical decision-making at end-of-life (NASW and IFSW)
  • Challenges in negotiating ethical dilemmas

Assignment

  • Submit Part 2 of the Fictional Case Formulation and Case Analysis Paper

Week 8: Grief/Loss and the Family: Caregiving, Compassion Fatigue, & Spirituality at the End of Life

REMINDER: WEEK 8 is – SHORT WEEK, which ends on Sunday.

Required Reading and Multimedia

  • Textbook: Werth, Jr., J. (2013). Counseling clients near the end-of-life. Chapter 9 (pp. 185-199).
  • Textbook: Worden, J. (2018). Grief counseling and grief therapy, 5th ed. Chapters 8 and 9 (pp. 217-259).
  • Amirkhanyan, A.A. & Wolf, D.A. (2003). Caregiver stress and noncaregiver stress: Exploring the pathways of psychiatric morbidity. The Gerontologist, 43(6), 817-827.
  • Blandin, K., & Pepin, R. (2017). Dementia grief: A theoretical model of a unique grief experience. Dementia, 16(1), 67-78. doi:10.1177/1471301215581081
  • Carmon, A. F., Western, K. J., Miller, A. N., Pearson, J. C., & Fowler, M. R. (2010). Grieving those we’ve lost: An examination of family communication patterns and grief reactions. Communication Research Reports, 27(3), 253-262. doi:10.1080/08824096.2010.496329
  • Daniel, T. (2017). Grief as a mystical journey: Fowler’s stages of faith development and their relation to post-traumatic growth. The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling: JPCC, 71(4), 220-229. doi:10.1177/1542305017741858
  • Figley, C.R. (2002). Compassion fatigue: Psychotherapists’ chronic lack of self-care. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(11), 1433-1441.
  • Georgiadou, T., & Pnevmatikos, D. (2019). An exploration of afterlife beliefs in religiously-and secularly-oriented adults. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 40(2), 159-171. doi:10.1080/13617672.2019.1583921
  • Krikorian, A., Limonero, J. T., & Maté, J. (2012). Suffering and distress at the end‐of‐life. Psycho‐oncology, 21(8), 799-808. doi:10.1002/pon.2087.
  • Lin, H., & Bauer-Wu, S. M. (2003). Psycho-spiritual well-being in patients with advanced cancer: An integrative review of the literature. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 44(1), 69-80. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2648.2003.02768.x
  • Spain, B., O’Dwyer, L., & Moston, S. (2019). Pet loss: Understanding disenfranchised grief, memorial use, and posttraumatic growth. Anthrozoös, 32(4), 555-568. doi:10.1080/08927936.2019.1621545
  • Stein, C. H., Abraham, K. M., Bonar, E. E., McAuliffe, C. E., Fogo, W. R., Faigin, D. A., . . . Potokar, D. N. (2009). Making meaning from personal loss: Religious, benefit finding, and goal-oriented attributions. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 14(2), 83-100. doi:10.1080/15325020802173819
  • Tadmor, C.S. (2004). Preventive intervention for children with cancer and their families at the end-of-life. Journal of Primary Prevention, 24(3), 311-323.
  • Zeidner, M., Hadar, D., Matthews, G., & Roberts, R. D. (2013). Personal factors related to compassion fatigue in health professionals. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 26(6), 595-609. doi:10.1080/10615806.2013.777045
  • “The process of making meaning from the cancer experience” (video)
  • “Spirituality and grief” (video)
  • “Grief and the Family” (video)

Discussion questions

  • Spirituality and faith at end-of-life
  • Professional self-care

Assignment

  • Submit Death & Grief Depiction Art Assignment (Journal) – Final entry is due

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Social Work page

UNE Libraries:

Information Technology Services (ITS)

ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.

Career Ready Program

The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!

The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.

Policies

Participation:

Participation is measured through your discussion board postings. Postings to the discussion board must add substantively to the discussion by building upon classmates’ ideas or posing critical questions to further the discussion. For example, a posting of “I agree with what people are saying” is not sufficient. I will be monitoring participation on a weekly basis and welcome people to check in with me if you have questions regarding your participation. Keep in mind that weekly postings make up a significant percentage of the final grade. All postings must be respectful. If at any time you are concerned with a posting, please notify me immediately. Please note that you will work in small groups to reflect and respond to the discussion questions. Your Instructor will assign you to a small group at the beginning of the course. This will be the group you work in throughout the course–where small group discussion occurs. Each week you will receive up to 30 points for participation. Please refer to the Participation Rubric to see how your weekly participation will be evaluated.

The majority of your discussions require a certain quantity of posts, but this is a minimum amount. Unless otherwise noted, you should post quality responses of no more than two or three paragraphs in length of the indicated quantity in any preferred combination related to the questions. The recommended method is that you carefully read the existing posts and then think about how to build off the existing ideas by offering additional insights, alternative perspectives, or raising critical questions. As part of this process, be sure to refer back to the original discussion question in order to keep the thread focused on the required topic and address the indicated question(s).

All posts to the discussion boards should be completed by 11:59 P.M. E.T. of the last day of the module as indicated in the “Course Schedule.” Any discussions that extend beyond that date and time will not be considered a part of the grade and/or assignment, but rather optional reading. Even though you technically have until the last day of the module to post, your participation points will suffer if you do not post initially by Saturday as this negatively impacts your classmates’ ability to respond to your posts and your ability to respond to their posts. Posts that no longer relate to the identified topic should be moved to one of the on-going discussion boards such as “Ask You Instructor,” “Hallway Discussions,” or “Resources.”

 

Course Format:

Powerpoint presentations, online class discussion, and case studies case studies will be used to illustrate theory, practice approaches, research, and policy as they relate to practice with individuals, families, and professional care providers working with loss, death and grief. Course readings reflect theories and practice models across disciplines and cultures, and include fiction that illuminates the experiences and perspectives of the dying, their loved ones, and professional careers. Course content encourages curiosity, active inquiry, debate, and creative exploration.

Although the course introduces, organizes, and explains course content, students are expected to take responsibility for analysis and application of content to their learning needs. In the School of Social Work, students are viewed as adult learners. It is expected that students will take responsibility for their own learning, incorporate critical thinking skills, show professional respect to the instructor and each other, and create an online classroom atmosphere that facilitates the teaching/learning process.

Specific expectations include:

  • Online class presence
  • Preparation for each class by completing and studying assigned readings
  • Active participation in online small group class discussions
  • Direct, assertive communication of any concerns or changes affecting attendance or completion of course requirements.

Essential Academic and Technical Standards

Please review the essential academic and technical standards of the University of New England School Social Work (SSW): https://online.une.edu/social-work/academic-and-technical-standards-une-online-ssw/

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Confidentiality Statement

Student and faculty participation in this course will be governed by standards in the NASW Code of Ethics relating to confidentiality in sharing information from their placement sites and practice experiences. Students should be aware that personal information they choose to share in class, class assignments or conversations with faculty does not have the status of privileged information.

Late Policy

Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Attendance Policy

8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.