Healthy Grieving in Midlife and Beyond (3 CEs)

Middle-aged and older adults experience the deaths of life partners, parents, siblings, friends, children, and beloved pets. Other losses can be related to poor health, moves, and loss of roles important to personal identity. Resiliency increases with age, and most bereaved individuals cope well. In addition to greater suicide risk for some subgroups, however, bereavement can lead to increased morbidity and mortality in middle-aged and older adults. Behavioral health clinicians report limited training in grief-related assessment and interventions and describe this as a high need area for professional development. This webinar features clinical strategies to support healthy grieving processes in midlife and beyond. Advances in the neuroscience of grief suggest that the grieving process is a form of learning that can be supported with the use of evidence-based screening tools and intervention strategies. This webinar will enhance clinicians’ confidence in differentiating among healthy grief reactions and prolonged grief disorder, clinical depression, and PTSD. Research-informed clinical strategies will be featured to help practitioners address the grief-related concerns of middle-aged and older adults, with case studies highlighting culturally congruent care across a range of clinical settings.