CPD Points
This course is accredited with Level 1: 3 Ethics CEUs and 3 General CEUs (6 in total) from the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA)
What is the Loss, Grief and Bereavement in Children’s Palliative Care course about?
The loss of a child is one of the most emotionally devastating and painful events any parent can experience and will also deeply affect the child’s siblings, grandparents and other loved ones. They will be forever changed and affected by this loss. How they are supported before the child dies, at the time of the death and afterwards can make a significant difference to how they cope with the loss. If they feel unheard or not given any control over events and their needs are not met, the loss can easily cause complicated grief. If, however, they are given the best support possible, allowed to be a part of decision making and are shown empathy, respect and compassion, their burden will be lighter and the path through their grief more bearable. This course aims to provide healthcare providers, counsellors, teachers, therapists and anyone else who interacts with very sick children and their families the tools, resources and knowledge to provide better support for the sick child and the child’s family’s as they journey through their loss, grief and bereavement.
Key points of learning within this Loss, Grief and Bereavement in Children’s Palliative Care course include:
- Understanding the meaning of loss, grief, mourning and bereavement
- Models and theories of grief and how they inform support for those who grieve
- Differences in how adults and children experience grief
- How children of different ages experience grief
- Anticipatory grief
- Complicated and delayed grief and how to manage these
- Support for families through loss, grief and bereavement
- The benefits of memory work
Course Review
Why take the course?
We asked Di Burger, an experienced Family Counsellor with more than 30 years of experience in palliative care and bereavement counselling support, to review our course and this is what she had to say: “I was impressed by the amount of time and care that has been invested in the creation of this course as well as its accessibility. It contains a wealth of information and I encourage anyone with an interest in this wide subject to enrol in this course and then to have the benefit of returning to it to refresh one’s memory as well as to use it as a very helpful resource.”
Di Burger
Registered Family Counsellor
Paedspal, Cape Town