Bereavement Studies

Division

1. Day, Evening & Weekend College

   Required Courses

   Code	Course Name	Credit Hours
   Total Credits		12
   Ber 100	Death, Dying and Bereavement	3
   3 credit hours (Fall) Examines societal and personal attitudes on death, dying and bereavement. A major focus will be on loss and grief, including normal and abnormal grieving patterns in both adults and children. Basic skills for supporting the bereaved will be discussed, as well as community resources identified.
   Ber 101	Accompanying the Dying Person and Family	3
   3 credit hours (Fall) Designed to empower participants to ease the dying process by providing emotional and spiritual support to both patient and family, guiding them in anticipatory grieving, reconciliation and celebration.
   Ber 103	Spirituality and Ritual	3
   3 credit hours - Required Course (Spring)  An experiential survey of tools of spiritual care designed to facilitate the healing of wounds of grief and loss, as well as enhancing the life and work of the practitioner. Ritual, meditation, prayer, dreamwork, music, the use of the expressive arts and bodywork are among the practices to be explored.
   Ber 104	Children and Death	3
   3 credit hours - Required Course (Spring) Children—the forgotten mourners. How does our society support children in their grief? This course will examine how adults, including parents, teachers, and health care professionals can talk to children about death and loss in general. This study of children’s grief will include age appropriate interventions and examination of the developmental stages of children's reactions to death. Specific techniques and rituals designed for children will be explored and discussed.

   Elective Courses

   Code	Course Name	Credit Hours
   Total Credits		15
   Ber 102	Soul-Searching	1
   1 credit hour (Fall)  An exploration of the soulful place of feelings, imagination and connection relative to the experience of death and dying. Participants will imagine their own deaths as well as past losses, and learn the hermetic art of assisting the self and others in soulful living and dying.
   Ber 106	Support Groups	3
   3 credit hours (Spring) A study of the various types of bereavement support groups, including the basics of starting and facilitating a group. Group process and dynamics will be examined as well as group leadership. Training and personal qualifications of facilitators will be discussed. Participation in this course does not automatically qualify one to facilitate groups.
   Ber 107	Disenfranchised Grief	1
   1 credit hour - Elective (Spring) Designed to address the needs of mourners whose losses are not socially validated. Topics to be discussed will include perinatal deaths, abortion, homosexuality, divorce, and the loss of self-esteem, a job, faith, or hope. Techniques of assessment and support, as well as community resources, will be presented.
   Ber 109	Traumatic Grief and Crisis Intervention	1
   1 credit hour (Spring)  A presentation of the fundamental concepts of traumatic grief, including primary and secondary losses, physical and psychospiritual reactions to trauma, common problems encountered when working with individuals in crisis, assessment skills and appropriate interventions.
   Ber 120	Healing Grief through the Arts	2
   2 credit hours  The arts have historically been used throughout the world to help people heal from loss and suffering. This course will explore the use of expressive arts in the bereavement process. It will give participants an opportunity to experience how writing, drawing, movement, storytelling and other artistic modalities can be incorporated into grief work. The application of these modalities to the tasks of grief will be addressed throughout the course.
   Ber 130	Spiritual Practices for Healing and Wholeness	2
   2 credit hours (Fall) Designed for personal and professional life enhancement, this course will focus on spirituality as an essential component of health, well-being and a meaningful life. Students will study the human energy system, identify and release negative energies, explore their own spirituality and experience a variety of meditative and prayer practices, learn to access imagination, the creative centers of the brain and their own spiritual power, practice assessment and stress reduction techniques, create a personal spiritual plan of care, and receive training in spiritual ministry as it relates to caring for others.
   Ber 150	Creating Meaningful Wakes and Funerals	2
   1 credit hours  Designed for families, clergy, deacons, lay ministers, funeral directors, healthcare professionals, therapists, social workers, and chaplains, this course emphasizes and demonstrates the healing power of personalized ritual. Through academic information, experiential exercises, and opportunities for self-reflection, both the theory and practice of creating meaningful bereavement ceremonies will be taught. Jan. 10, 17, 24, 31; Feb. 7, 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Instructor: Davia Boyle
   Ber 112	Healing Art of Poetry	3
   3 credit hours This unique course will teach the craft of poem-making including “tools of the trade” such as imagery, figurative language, sound, and form. Focused on the process of discovery and personal awakening of the poet within, this course will present key themes of human experience: the journey of life, love and loss, relationships, identity, use of the senses, letting go, joy and death. The course will also include exploring the writing of published poets and guiding students through the creative process including revision of their own works.