In this unit, students will develop an understanding of the issues and processes of holistic counselling and psychotherapy when working with people experiencing grief, loss, death and dying. Classic and contemporary theories and approaches to working with grief, loss and death will be covered, including the work of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, Arnold Mindell, Rudolf Steiner, William Worden and Robert Niemeyer, and models arising from palliative care. The holistic model will be differentiated from other models. Students will discuss case studies as a way of applying their understanding of the holistic model to a range of loss and grief circumstances, across the lifespan, and with culturally diverse clients.

Palliative care is introduced during the intensive. Counselling skills for loss and grief are taught and practiced under supervision at the intensive and will be demonstrated by students through the submission of a reflective critical analysis of a session.