Course Bundle:
Foundations of Grief Education +
Grief as a Mental Disorder: A Critical Assessment

This bundle brings together two complementary courses designed for learners seeking both a strong foundation in grief-informed practice and a deeper, critical understanding of how grief has been conceptualized within diagnostic frameworks of mental health disorders. This course bundle includes a 25% savings when the two courses are purchased together. Complete both courses to strengthen your grief-informed practice while building the critical insight needed to thoughtfully consider diagnostic models and how they can impact people who are grieving.

These self-paced courses can be accessed anytime (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) and completed in your own timeframe. The estimated time to complete each course is 3 hours and you can pause and resume your work at any point. When you successfully finish the course, a Certificate of Completion will be issued to you within a week.

Pricing & Promotions

Dougy Center is pleased to offer discounts to students and Community Partners trained by Dougy Center.

Courses Included in this Bundle

  • Becoming Grief-Informed: Foundations of Grief Education (Prerequisite Course)

    In this introductory course, Dougy Center provides essential knowledge and skills to gain understanding of the core principles of grief-informed best practices. Through engaging modules and real-world examples, learners will be provided with clear action steps to apply the principles of grief-informed best practices to their personal and professional lives.

  • Grief as a Mental Disorder: A Critical Assessment (Continuing Education Course)

    This course examines the historical evolution of how grief has been understood within mental health and diagnostic systems. Learners are invited to explore the factors that have contributed to the pathologizing of grief, engage with ongoing controversies, and develop a critical perspective that supports ethical, informed, and person-centered care.

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Meet Our Grief Educators

Senior Director of Advocacy & Education

Donna Schuurman, EdD, FT

Donna L. Schuurman, EdD, FT previously served as Dougy Center’s Executive Director from 1991–2015 and is an internationally recognized authority on grief and bereaved children, teens, and families, and the author of Never the Same: Coming to Terms with the Death of a Parent (St. Martin’s Press, 2003), co-author of The Dougy Center Model: Peer Grief Support for Children, Teens, and Families (Dougy Center, 2021), among other publications. Dr. Schuurman has worked directly with families and communities impacted by large-scale tragedies and natural disasters, including as a trainer for the FBI and National Transportation Safety Board family assistance staff. She is a national trainer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and co-authored Children, Teens, and Suicide Loss, a joint publication of AFSP and Dougy Center.

Directora de capacitación y equidad de programas

Cristina Chipriano, LCSW-S, FT

Cristina Chipriano, LCSW-S, FT, ha estado en el campo del duelo infantil desde 2015. Su trabajo se ha centrado en la supervisión de la programación y el alcance a comunidades histórica y actualmente desatendidas. También ha desarrollado capacitaciones profesionales sobre la atención culturalmente receptiva, con énfasis en el apoyo a las poblaciones latinas/latinx, el fomento de la inclusión y la interseccionalidad, y la orientación a las agencias históricamente dirigidas por blancos para que sirvan a las diversas comunidades de manera más eficaz.

Advocacy & Education Manager

Jana DeCristofaro, LCSW

Jana DeCristofaro, LCSW, is the Advocacy & Education Manager at Dougy Center. Since 2002, Jana has coordinated peer support groups for children, teens, young adults, and adults. She also provides consultation and training for grieving families, students, community members, and professionals locally and nationally. Jana is the host and producer of Grief Out Loud, Dougy Center’s podcast, which features interviews with other professionals in the grief world and those with lived experience of grief. She has also facilitated community responses for schools and community organizations after a death.

Start Your Journey

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