INTRODUCTION: Welcome to the Professional Grief Counseling & Thanatology Certificate
Program offered by Canyon College. You have made a wise decision to pursue study and acquire the
knowledge and skills needed to practice in this growing health care and behavioral health
specialty. This area of specialty practice is growing all the time and many health care
professionals and behavioral health practitioners and professionals are using their skills to
practice full or part time in this area. This practice specialty grows more important each day
and many graduates of our program will have opportunities to practice in grief counseling roles.
Obtaining the credential from a quality program is essential to capitalize on this career
opportunity. You have made an excellent choice for your continuing education and skill
attainment. I am sure you will be pleased with our certificate program's course of study. This
course will surely prepare you to begin your career as a professional in Grief Counseling and
Thanatology.
This certificate course is designed for 180 contact hours of self-paced study with group
discussion and faculty mentoring. Upon completion of the course, participants will be awarded
the Certificate in Grief Counseling and Thanatology, as well as 12 semester hours of credit from
the College.
This comprehensive college-based course is developed to include introduction, basic,
intermediate, as well as advanced education and skills in death and dying and grief counseling.
The design of the program is such that any licensed health care professional and behavioral
health specialist, whether or not they have practice experience in thanantology and/or grief
counseling, can enroll in this course of study. Those who currently practice in the field of
thanantology and/or grief counseling will find the course comprehensive, complimentary to their
practices, and highly valuable for study of advanced concepts and skill attainment. This course
is also designed for those who have a great interest in thanantology and/or grief counseling,
but are not health care or behavioral health practitioners. A high school diploma is required
for admission to this course of study.
This course is designed to be self-paced. Many, current, authoritative, and classic texts are
used and communication with the course instructor is by email, telephone, fax, and/or US postal
mail. Students can utilize all of any one of these vehicles to communicate with the instructor,
although email and phone are preferred.
The course is presented in ten (10) modules. Each module is outlined below. Following the
completion of each module, the participant will take an examination. The examinations are
objective type or short essay. Following completion of Module 10, students must complete a short
project. After successful completion of all ten (10) Modules, the ten examinations and the course
project, the student will complete the program and receive the Certificate in Grief Counseling and
Thanatology.
The certificate program is a self-paced, guided study program. Participants are given twelve
(12) months to complete the program. You may study at your own pace, and can progress through
the course as quickly as you like, or as paced as you like. Instructions for moving through the
course, including all assignments are provided upon registration.
CEU APPROVAL: this certificate course has been approved by the American Institute of
Healthcare Professionals, Inc., for 180 contact hours of continuing education. Graduates
of the program are eligible to obtain a certificate of verification of approved contact hours
from the American Institute. A nominal processing fee is charged by the Institute.
INSTRUCTOR CONTACT: there are many avenues of access to the course instructor. You may
contact the instructor anytime you have questions, would like clarification, etc. Your
interaction with the instructor is one-on-one and this is highly beneficial as you proceed
through the course.
TEXTBOOKS - Online Bookstore
Many authoritative and some classic texts in thanantology and grief counseling
are used for this certificate program. Students are required to obtain text books on their own.
For the student's convience, ordering information is provided below. Please note that you may
obtain these books from any local bookstore, or online through your preferred internet bookstore.
Amazon.com information is given only as one example of access to these books. Your locale
bookstore may have some or all of them in stock, or can likely order them for you.
The required textbooks are cited below with each of the module course descriptions.
If using amazon.com, you should use the search feature located on their home webpage. Type in
the author's name, or the title of the text. All of the textbooks used in the certificate
program are available through amazon.com.
Call and order your books as soon as possible so that you can begin your course of study. You
will need the book "On Death and Dying" by Elisabeth Kubler- Ross, to begin your Module I
assignments.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Dominick L. Flarey, PhD, MBA, RN, CS, CNAA, FACHE - is President of Dominick L. Flarey and
Associates, a health care consulting and education firm, located in northeast Ohio. He has held
positions as a certified nurse practitioner, associate administrator of patient care, chief
operating office and administrator in acute care hospitals. He is Dean of Nursing and Alternative
Health Care Programs at Canyon College, and lectures for Heritage Professional Education, a
national seminar company based in Nashville. He was an executive consultant to a national "big 6"
accounting firm's health care practice and was a service line administrator and consultant for
case management for another national consulting firm. He holds a BSN, an MBA, and Doctorates in
nursing administration and management. He is a certified adult nurse practitioner and certified
clinical hypnotherapist. He is also certified as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse by the
American Nurses Credentialing Center in Washington, DC. He lectures extensively across the
country on Management, including models, systems, outcomes and legal/ethical issues. He also
lectures nationally on the topic of Biopsychiatry. His clinical practice includes hypnotherapy's
for Grief and Bereavement, care of adults with depression, anxiety disorders and panic disorder.
He uses hypnotherapy's, guided meditation and visualization in his work with those grieving.
He is co-author/editor of two textbooks on Case Management (see below) and is a member of the
Editorial Board of the journal, "Nursing Case Management: Managing the Process of Patient Care."
Dr. Flarey is also certified in nursing administration advanced. He is a board certified health
care executive by the American College of Healthcare Executives, and is a Fellow in the college.
He also holds national certification in managed care from the Professional Education Institute.
He is a Certified Medical-Legal Consultant.
He is editor-in-chief of JONA's (Journal of Nursing Administration) Healthcare Law, Ethics, and
Regulation. He is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Nursing Administration,
Seminars for Nurse Managers, Case Management: Managing the Process of Patient Care, and Nursing
Outcomes. He has authored over 50 published articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Flarey is editor/author of the book, "Redesigning Nursing Care Delivery: Transforming Our
Future," published by Lippincott/Raven publishers. He is also co-editor/author of the following
books by Aspen Publishers: "Reengineering Nursing and Health Care: The Handbook for
Organizational Transformation," winner of a 1995 AJN book of the year award, "The Handbook of
Nursing Case Management: Health Care Delivery in a World of Managed Care," "Case Studies in Case
Management," "Health Care Outcomes: Collaborative, Path-Based Approaches," and "Cardiovascular
Outcomes: Collaborative, Path-Based Approaches," and "Process-Centered Healthcare Organizations."
GRADING: Examinations are objective type or short answer. The number of questions per
examination varies. The grading scale is:
90 - 100 %
=
A
80 - 89 %
=
B
70 - 79 %
=
C
60 - 69 %
=
D
Below 60 %
=
F
The final course project is graded on a "pass-fail" basis. Students must receive a "pass" score
on the project in order to graduate from the certificate program.
TAKING EXAMS: examinations are taken online via the Canyon College website. Once you have
registered for this program, you will receive instructions on accessing and taking the
examinations.
GETTING STARTED: as soon as your receive your textbook for Module I, you may begin your
course of study. Below is the program course outline. Be sure to review it as you progress
through the course. Once you have registered for the course, your instructor will send to you a
letter of introduction with more explanations and the course assignments.
ON-LINE MESSAGE BOARD: Canyon College has provided an on-line message board for the
participants of this course. The message board is a vehicle whereby the instructor can post news,
current events, new findings related to the study content, etc. All currently enrolled students
may at any time post to the message board. This includes questions or information related to the
course and the course content. Once enrolled, you will receive directions for accessing and using
the message board. Access to the message board is via the "Grief Counseling and Thanatology"
classroom at the Canyon College website.
Online Chat Room: students "meet" with the instructor and other students in the online
chat room. Access to the chat room is via the "Grief Counseling and Thanatology" classroom, located
at the Canyon College website. Chats are pre-scheduled and all students receive notification via
email as to when a chat session is scheduled. Here, students have an opportunity to participate
in group, online discussions, including question/answer sessions, with their peers. This feature
also provides students with networking opportunities.
CERTIFICATION OPTION: The American Institute of Healthcare Professionals, Inc, through
its division, The American Academy of Grief Counseling, has approved this program of study and
has further approved the program for graduates to apply for and receive certification as a
Certified Grief Counselor. For more information regarding certification, please contact the
American Academy of Grief Counseling directly at http://www.aihcp.org
or 330-652-7776.
Hours of Study/Instruction = 180 hours; 12 Semester credits
Overall Course Objectives:
To prepare health care professionals, behavioral health specialists and lay persons to practice professionally in the area of Thanantology and Grief Counseling, with sufficient knowledge for practice at a standard required by the current job and consumer market.
To prepare graduates to practice in a variety of practice settings such as clinics, delivery systems, organizations, funeral homes, hospices, religious organizations, outpatient counseling centers, etc.
To gain the knowledge and skills required to seek new opportunities related to Thanantology and Grief Counseling practice.
To understand and practice professionally with regards to high ethics and adherence to established standards of practice.
To assist in the review process for taking related certification and other credentialing examinations.
To prepare for practice various types of alternative health care settings.
To prepare graduates to practice Thanantology and Grief Counseling at advanced levels of practice.
To assist graduates in developing their own marketing plans for career and business growth, related to these practice specialties.
To provide graduates with a college level credential for this practice specialty.
To provide a means for health care and behavioral health practitioners to compliment their current practices by the added knowledge and skill of thanantology and grief counseling.
Module I -
Course Title: Death & Dying Symposium, Part 1
Required Text Book: On Death and Dying, by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, MD. A Touchstone Book,
published by Simon & Schuster. Paperback. New York: NY; 1969.
Contact Hours = 15
Semester Hours = 1
Course Content
The Fear of Death
Attitudes Toward Death & Dying
First Stage: Denial & Isolation
Second Stage: Anger
Third Stage: Bargaining
Fourth Stage: Depression
Fifth Stage: Acceptance
Hope
The Patient's Family
Terminally Ill Patients
Reactions to Seminar on Death & Dying
Therapy with the Terminally Ill
Module II -
Course Title: The Psychosocial Aspects of Death and Dying
Required Text Book: The Psychosocial Aspects of Death and Dying, by John D. Canine.
Appleton & Lange: Stamford; 1996.
Contact Hours = 30
Semester Hours = 2
Content
Death: Awareness and Anxiety
Cultural Attitudes toward Death
Processing the Death of a Loved One
The Psychology of Dying
Social Responses to Various Types of Death
System Coordination Approach for the Dying Patient
Legal Implications for the Dying Patient and the Family
Understanding the Basic Tasks of Grief
Circumstantial Factors Influencing Grief
Comparing and Contrasting Reactions to Loss
Manifestations of Grief
Why Some People do not Grieve
Therapeutic Strategies for the Bereaved
Psychosocial Functions of Funerals
The Family: Grief Characteristics & Conflicts
Children: Making Sense of Separation and Loss
A Response to Contemporary Funeral Practices
Rationale for a Multidisciplinary Support System
Counseling Techniques for Helping the Bereaved
Models of Bereavement Aftercare
Contemporary Issues Influencing Bereavement Aftercare
Issues for the Death Care Professional
Module III -
Course Title: Death & Dying Symposium, Part 2
Required Text Book: Death: The Final Stage of Growth, by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, MD. A
Touchstone Book, published by Simon & Schuster, New York; 1975.
Contact Hours = 15
Semester Hours = 1
Content
The Organizational Context of Dying
Death in the First Person
Dying Among Alaskan Indians
The Jewish View of Death: Guidelines for Dying
The Jewish View of Death: Guidelines for Mourning
The Death that Ends Death in Hinduism and Buddhism
Living Until Death
Funerals: A Time for Grief and Growth
A Mother Mourns and Grows
One Women's Death-Victory and Triumph
Death as Part of My Own Personal Life
Dying as the Last Stage of Growth
MODULE IV -
Course Title: Death and Dying Symposium, Part 3
Required Text Book: Questions and Answers on Death and Dying, by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross,
MD. A Touchstone Book, published by Simon & Schuster, New York; 1974.
Contact Hours = 15
Semester Hours = 1
Content
The Dying Patient
Special Forms of Communication
Suicide and Terminal Illness
Sudden Death
Prolongation of Life
Where do we Best Care for Our Dying Patients
The Family's Problems After Death has Occurred
Funerals
Family and Staff Deal with their Own Feelings
Other Staff Problems
Old Age
Questions of Humor and Fear, Faith and Hope
MODULE V -
Course Title: Grief Counseling, Part 1
Required Text Book: The Mourning Handbook, by Helen Fitzgerald. Simon & Schuster: NewYork; 1995.
Contact Hours = 30
Semester Hours = 2
Content
Facts About Grief
Preparing for a Death
Funeral Preparations
Mourning Your Loss
Continuing Reminders of Your Loss
Differences that Matter
Complicated Grief
Unresolved Childhood Grief & Trauma
The Road to Recovery
A Friend in Need
MODULE VI -
Course Title: Grief Counseling, Part 2
Required Text Book: Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health
Practitioner (second edition), by J. William Worden. Springer Publishing Company: New York; 1991.
Contact Hours = 15
Semester Hours = 1
Content
Attachment, Loss, and the Tasks of Mourning
Normal Grief Reactions: Uncomplicated Mourning
Grief Counseling: Facilitating Uncomplicated Grief
Abnormal Grief Reactions: Complicated Mourning
Grief Therapy: Resolving Pathological Grief
Grieving Special Types of Losses
Grief and Family Systems
The Counselor's Own Grief
Training for Grief Counseling
Module VII -
Course Title: Grief Counseling, Part 3
Required Text Book: How to Go On Living When Someone You Love Dies, by Therese A. Rando,
Ph.D. Bantam Books: New York; July 1991.
Contact Hours = 15
Semester Hours = 1
Content
Learning about Grief
Grieving Different Forms of Death
Grieving and Your Family
Resolving Your Grief
Getting Additional Help
MODULE VIII -
Course Title: Death and Children
Required Text Book: Talking with Children About Loss, by Maria Trozzi. A Perigree Book: New
York; 1999.
Contact Hours = 15
Semester Hours = 1
Content
Danger and Opportunity: The Mourning Process in Children
When Someone Dies
Nonovert Losses
MODULE IX -
Course Title: After Death Communications
Required Text Book: Love Beyond Life: The Healing Power of After-Death Communications, by
Joel Martin and Patricia Romanowski. Dell Publishing: New York; 1997.
Contact Hours = 15
Semester Hours = 1
Content
After Death Communications
The Changing Face of Death
More Than a Dream
Apparitions, Visions, and the Near Death Experience
Signs and Synchronicities
Eternal Family Ties
The Healing Power of After-Death Communications
Journeys Through Time
Finding Your Path Through the Pierless Bridge
Our Misguided Legacy of Disbelief
Love Beyond Life Survey
MODULE X -
Course Project
Contact Hours = 15
Semester Hours = 1
Following the successful completion of all modules of study and passing scores on all module
exams, students will complete a short project related to the theories, competencies and skills
attained. Project details are provided to students following their enrollment into the program.
The project provides for operationalizing the theories and skills in practice. It consists of
conducting several interviews, analyzing the client's situation and developing a short action
plan to effective assist the client in the dying process or in the bereavement process. Students
can elect to work with a client who is dying, or with a client who has experienced grief from
loss of a loved one. The course project is graded on a pass/fail basis. A passing score is
required for completion of the certificate course and graduation.
Tuition Payment Plan: Canyon College offers students in the Grief Counseling and
Thanatology Certificate Program a special payment plan. This plan allows students to pay in
installments as they progress through the certificate program. For more information on this
special plan, please contact the Registrar of Canyon College.
