Pet Loss Grief Counseling Trained Professional

CPD

Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

Handouts

Speaker

Diana Sebzda Sebzda, LPC, FT Related seminars and products

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Diana Sebzda, LPC, FT, is the director of bereavement at the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center where she provides both individual counseling and support groups for those coping with grief, anticipatory grief, and pet loss.

In addition to 17 years of grief counseling experience, Diana also has over 15 years of experience as a veterinary technician where she’s witnessed the impacts of pet loss firsthand.

Diana has been published in Healthy Pet Magazine and is a Fellow in Thanatology (FT) with the Association for Death Education and Counseling (where she is co-chair of their Pet Loss Networking Group). She is also a member of the Traumatic Loss Coalition of New Jersey, the American Counseling Association, and the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement. Diana earned her MA degree in Applied Clinical Psychology from William Patterson University.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Diana Sebzda is a counselor with BetterHelp.com. She receives compensation as a speaker and consultant. Diana Sebzda receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Diana Sebzda is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, Traumatic Loss Coalition of New Jersey, and the national Coalition for Grieving Students.

Objectives

1. Investigate how pet loss grief is often minimized by others and determine how this can impact a client’s symptomology.
2. Apply psychoeducation approaches with clients to help normalize the grief experienced following the death of a pet.
3. Demonstrate to clients how mourning rituals can be used to help them better cope with the loss of a pet.
4. Formulate a plan to help clients better understand the nature of disenfranchised grief so they can grieve the loss of a pet without fear of judgement.
5. Evaluate how the complex decisions involved in saying goodbye to a pet, including euthanasia can lead to guilt and self-blame in clients.
6. Integrate expectations about anticipatory grief and end of life issues into sessions with clients to help them better prepare for an upcoming loss. 

Outline

Client Grief Education:

How Pet Loss Grief Differs from Other Grief

• How pet loss is often minimized by others
• Why typical support systems may be unavailable
• Unrealistic expectations about the grief process

The Role of Attachment in Pet Loss Grief:

Why Understanding Pet Bonding is Key to Compassionate Counseling

• History of the human animal bond
• Three types of pet bonds counsellors need to know
• The economics of pet bonds
• Cultural and familial norms of pet relationships

The Disenfranchised Grief of Pet Loss:

Strategies to Help Clients Grieve Without Fear of Judgement

• How to help clients understand the nature of a disenfranchised grief
• Strategies to help clients externalize grief thoughts and feelings
• How to find like-minded supports for clients
• Techniques for educating clients and others on what is appropriate in grief

Anticipatory Grief:

Helping Clients with Pets Nearing the End

• Understanding anticipatory grief
• The role of pet parent and caregiver
• How to help clients develop a trusting relationship with their veterinarian
• Palliative care vs. Hospice care issues

Euthanasia in Pet Loss Grief:

Effective Interventions for Anger and Guilt

• Strategies to help clients cope with anger, guilt and regret
• Teach clients to use a caregiver journal to name and express feelings
• Positive self-talk exercises to help clients heal

Mourning Rituals to Help Clients Cope with Pet Loss

• Role of religion and belief in spirit
• How clients can make a special place to honour and remember pets
• The role of the veterinarian or pet memorial park
• Continuing bonds to provide comfort and support
• Use linking objects exercises to reduce the impact of loss

Group Therapy:

How to Create and Lead Pet Loss Support Groups

• Group types -- closed or open, self-help or educational
• Implementation and marketing strategies for your group
• 3 ways to quickly build trust and rapport with group members
• How to ensure group safety

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Physicians
• Nurses
• Case Managers
• Chaplains/Clergy
• Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners
• Thanatologists