Overview
The field of grief and bereavement has undergone transformational change in terms of how the human experience of loss is understood and how the goals and outcomes of grief therapy are conceptualised.  Long-held views about the grief experience have been discarded with research evidence failing to support previously popular notions.

During the past decade, an increasing volume of rigorous research from practitioners as diverse as sociology, psychology, theology, philosophy and medicine has transformed the grief and bereavement field into a truly multidisciplinary one.  This workshop will explore issues at the cutting edge of bereavement theory, including the increasing focus upon the nature and the assessment and prediction of 'complicated' or 'prolonged' grief.  When is grief therapy beneficial and when is it of more limited value? Are Continuing Bonds necessarily a 'good thing'? What has recent research found in relation to the current working models of grief?  How does the recent research affect your daily interactions with the bereaved?


Designed for

Professionals involved in the care and support of grieving and bereaved people who wish to increase their knowledge of contemporary grief and bereavement theory.  Professionals working with those who might experience grief and bereavement, such as teachers, counsellors, nurses, doctors, therapists, psychologists clergy, other allied health professionals and volunteers.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will have:

An enhanced understanding of recent developments in bereavement theory.

Considered the implications of these new developments upon the practice of bereavement support.

Presenter

For the past 20 years Christopher Hall has held the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement, a government funded specialist bereavement service, which is based in Melbourne, Victoria. He is a psychologist who has developed a specialisation in the field of grief and bereavement over the past 25 years. Chris has trained many health and education professionals in grief theory and interventions both in Australia and internationally. He has a strong interest in child and adolescent grief, complex bereavement experiences and the organisational impact of grief and loss. 

In 1999 he was elected to the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement (IWG) and has served as Chair of the organisation. He is currently Secretary/Treasurer of the IWG. He is currently the Immediate Past President of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, one of the oldest interdisciplinary organizations in the field of dying, death and bereavement with over 2,000 members. 

A Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, Christopher is also an Honorary Fellow of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne. He serves as the Editor of the journal Grief Matters: The Australian Journal of Grief and Bereavement and Associate Editor of Death Studies. In 2010 Christopher was appointed to the Coronial Council of Victoria.