Developing Grief-Informed Counselors: A Reflexive Thematic Developing Grief-Informed Counselors: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Counselors-in-Training’s Learning Experiences

Dr. Katherine M. Atkins and Dr. Sonya Lorelle conducted a qualitative study with counselors-in-training (CITs) to better understand what enables CITs to best develop knowledge, skills, and competence working with client grief that is often underexplored in CACREP programs. In this publication about their findings, I co-authored a literature review to better understand the current landscape of CIT readiness to work with grief.

The abstract is below, and the full article can be found here: https://research.library.kutztown.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1919&context=jcps

ABSTRACT

Grief remains underrepresented in counselor education despite its relevance across the lifespan and its inclusion in the 2024 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards. This qualitative study explored how counselors-in-training (CITs) conceptualized grief and their developing professional role following participation in a structured grief education series. Eleven master’s-level CITs engaged in didactic instruction, experiential grief interventions, and reflective focus groups. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four interrelated themes were constructed that addressed grief conceptualization, counselor role development, integration of the personal self, and educational supports for grief competence. Findings reflected shifts toward relational, culturally responsive, and non-pathologizing approaches to grief. Implications highlight the importance of intentional curricular infusion, experiential learning, and reflexive practices to support ethical and developmentally responsive grief counseling.

Grief Documentation in CACREP Master's Programs: A Curricular Audit

Dr. Katherine M. Atkins, Dr. Sonya Lorelle, and I authored a manuscript on public documentation of grief education by CACREP master’s programs as of August 2024 that was recently published in the Wiley Online Library for Counselor Education and Supervision. The article considers the universal nature of grief as part of the human experience and need for counselor readiness, updated 2024 CACREP Standards with a grief education component, and available documentation on how grief education is offered by CACREP program. The abstract is below, and the full article can be found here: http://doi.org/10.1002/ceas.70033

ABSTRACT

This study audited publicly available materials from 856 CACREP-accredited master's-level counseling programs to establish a baseline of documented grief education following the 2024 CACREP Standards. Findings indicate that 25% of programs documented grief-related content, most commonly in elective coursework. Embedded content most frequently appeared in human growth and development courses.

Inside The Reinvention Space Where Self-Trust Becomes the Foundation for Change

As seen in International Business Times, you can learn more how I guide the transformation process.

Author Callum Turner reflects the following: “Reinvention, according to her, is an ongoing practice of questioning old assumptions and choosing what comes next with greater intention. Inside The Reinvention Space, that work begins with a simple premise. She says, ‘Gains and losses are a natural part of the development process, and this space in between what was and what is allows us to integrate various parts of ourselves along the journey of becoming something new’.”