YES! The training is LIVE and you'll be able to ask questions of the presenters.
The Premier Grief & Loss
Conference for Therapists and Helping Professionals
Effectively treating grieving clients has become a lost art in today’s "fix-it" culture.
The good news is there are unique and powerful grief-focused therapies that you can harness with just a little practice....
Welcome to the 2025 Grief Forum — with the best and most sought-after grief experts in the world here to show you how to confidently work with grief and loss.
And this 2-day LIVE online training event is being offered FREE to all helping professionals who wish to attend!
You'll train with:- David Kessler, one of the top grief experts in the United States
- Hospice Nurse Julie McFadden, NYT Best-selling author of DeMystifying Death
- Mary-Frances O’Connor, Neuroscientist and author of The Grieving Brain
- Erica Sirrine, Director at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital
- And more! (see below)
They will offer practical advice for seeing clients on:
- What grieving clients really need from therapy
- How to sit with grief without feeling stuck in it
- Sudden & traumatic grief & loss and how to uniquely help these clients
- How neuroscience can improve your grief therapy
- What therapists can learn from hospice care
- Working with childhood grief and loss
- And much more!
Register to attend FREE above! Then UPGRADE and get:
- Up to 8 LIVE CE hours ($559.92 value)
- A copy of David Kessler’s Finding Meaning Grief Workbook with free shipping! ($19.99 value)
- Erica Sirrine’s popular Grief Certification Training - up to 6 more CE hours included! ($249.99 value) - start your training TODAY!!
Register for
FREE Today!
Can't attend live?
Register anyway for 14-day free access to the event!
*CE hours and certification are available with an optional upgrade.
Register for more information.
By signing up, you’ll be included in our mailing list and
agree to our Privacy Policy,
so that you can be the first to hear about exclusive offers and FREE resources from the
best experts in your field!
FREE 2-DAY ONLINE EVENT
2025 Grief Forum with David Kessler
LIVE Online July 31 – Aug 1, 2025 | 10:00am – 3:45pm CENTRAL
This free registration period CLOSES prior to the event. Register today!
Can't attend live? No problem!
Register above and get 14-day on-demand replay access, or upgrade to the recording package for lifetime access, free certification training, and a copy of David Kessler’s Finding Meaning book.
Register above and get 14-day on-demand replay access, or upgrade to the recording package for lifetime access, free certification training, and a copy of David Kessler’s Finding Meaning book.
*Up to 14 CE hours (8 live CE hours + 6 self-study CE hours) are available for a
nominal upgrade fee.
Register for FREE above to have immediate access to CE and Recording package options.
Register for FREE above to have immediate access to CE and Recording package options.
DAY 1 | Thursday, July 31, 2025
10:00am – 3:45pm CT
9:40am - 10:00am CT
Morning welcome with Zach Taylor, MA LPC & Paul Denniston, Grief Yoga Expert (optional) - NO CE
Morning welcome with Zach Taylor, MA LPC & Paul Denniston, Grief Yoga Expert (optional) - NO CE
Zach Taylor, MA LPC and Paul Denniston, RYT 500 -
Click here for information about Paul Denniston
Start the day with your host, Zach Taylor, Director of Psychotherapy Networker & Grief Yoga teacher, Paul Denniston, for a morning meet and greet and experience some gentle grief yoga.
10:00am - 11:05am CT
Speaking the Unimaginable: How Understanding the Dying Process and Helps Therapists Work with Loss
Speaking the Unimaginable: How Understanding the Dying Process and Helps Therapists Work with Loss
David Kessler, RN - Click here for information about David Kessler
-
In a culture that prioritizes moving forward, grief remains an unspoken challenge for
many. Therapists and counselors are often the only ones holding space for loss's slow,
nonlinear nature. Join renowned grief expert David Kessler for this powerful training to
deepen your skills in guiding clients through grief with compassion and effectiveness.
11:15am - 12:20pm
CT
How We Die: How Understanding the Dying Process and Helps Therapists Work with Loss
How We Die: How Understanding the Dying Process and Helps Therapists Work with Loss
Julie (Hospice Nurse Julie) McFadden, RN BSN - Click here for information about Julie McFadden
Death and dying are parts of the grieving process that often get over-looked. But
understanding what actually happens, what the dying process looks like, and how humans often
face it can equip us as psychotherapists to better understand both terminally ill clients as
well as their families after a death. Julie McFadden is an experienced and expert hospice
nurse who has been working with the dying and their families. In this workshop you’ll learn
what every therapist should know about death and dying, particularly if you specialize in
grief work.
12:30pm - 1:35pm CT
The Role of Forgiveness in Grief Work: Releasing Anger and the Pain of Relational Trauma
The Role of Forgiveness in Grief Work: Releasing Anger and the Pain of Relational Trauma
Frank Anderson, MD - Click here for information about Frank Anderson
We’ll explore when and why forgiveness may be the missing piece in your grief therapy: when
it's premature and when it’s forced, when it's used to avoid feelings of pain and betrayal,
whether it's necessary to fully heal from abuse, whether it serves the victim or the
perpetrator, and when it leads to true acceptance and freedom.
MID-DAY BREAK 1:35pm -
2:05pm CT
2:05pm - 3:10pm CT
Forever in My Heart: Expressions of Continuing Bonds in Childhood and Adolescent Grief
Forever in My Heart: Expressions of Continuing Bonds in Childhood and Adolescent Grief
Erica Sirrine, PhD, LCSW, FT - Click here for information about Erica H Sirrine
Death ends a physical relationship, but our emotional connections remain. Many grieving
children and adolescents express this continued attachment by maintaining continuing bonds
with the person who died. Continuing bonds are a normal part of the grief process, yet they
often raise questions or concerns from those unfamiliar with the concept. In this workshop,
you’ll gain insight into how children and adolescents maintain and express these bonds.
Assessment and intervention strategies that promote adaptive bonds and healthy ongoing
connections will also be explored.
3:20pm – 3:45pm
Closing Panel with Faculty and Q&A (NO CE)
Closing Panel with Faculty and Q&A (NO CE)
Zach Taylor, MA LPC and Paul Denniston, RYT 500
Join this special closing panel with David Kessler and Select Faculty to close out the
conference and collect all the takeaways from our time together.
DAY 2 | Friday, August 1, 2025
10:00am – 3:45pm CT
9:40am - 10:00am CT
Morning welcome with Zach Taylor, MA LPC & Paul Denniston, Grief Yoga Expert (optional) - NO CE
Morning welcome with Zach Taylor, MA LPC & Paul Denniston, Grief Yoga Expert (optional) - NO CE
Zach Taylor, MA LPC and Paul Denniston, RYT 500 - Click here for information about Paul Denniston
Join your host, Zach Taylor, Director of Psychotherapy Networker & Grief Yoga teacher, Paul Denniston, for a morning meet and greet and experience some gentle grief yoga practices.
10:00am – 11:05am CT
Traumatic Grief: The Losses That Scare Clinicians the Most
Traumatic Grief: The Losses That Scare Clinicians the Most
David Kessler, RN - Click here for information about David Kessler
Some losses are so devastating that even the most experienced therapists can feel unprepared
to hold space for them. Suicide, addiction-related deaths, and the death of a child bring
pain that is raw, complex, and often isolating. As clinicians, we may worry about saying the
wrong thing or being unable to help at all. Grief expert David Kessler invites you into a
compassionate conversation about these profound losses, offering guidance to help you
support clients with tenderness, courage, and deep presence.
11:15am – 12:20am CT
The Neuroscience of Grief: Supporting our Clients’ Grieving Body & the Grieving Brain
The Neuroscience of Grief: Supporting our Clients’ Grieving Body & the Grieving Brain
Mary-Frances O'Connor, PhD - Click here for information about Mary-Frances O'Connor
Why does grief hurt so much? Taught by a neuroscience professor and clinical psychologist,
this workshop will discuss the what of grief—what it feels like, what problems it causes,
and common neurobiological and physiological reactions. But more importantly, it will
discuss the why. Some of the answers to our questions about grief can be found in the brain,
the seat of our thoughts and feelings, motivations, and behaviors. By looking at grief from
the perspective of the brain, we will discuss the contemporary science of the how of grief
in order to better understand the why.
12:30pm – 1:35pm CT
When the Past Meets the Present: Uncovering Unresolved Grief Across Generations
When the Past Meets the Present: Uncovering Unresolved Grief Across Generations
Lisa Connors, PhD, LCPC - Click here for information about Lisa Connors
Unresolved grief, loss, and trauma extend beyond our personal lives – many of us carry grief
across generations from our ancestors and cultural origins. When this unique type of grief
is left unidentified and unaddressed, it can show up as a variety of mental health symptoms.
This workshop will focus mainly on intergenerational grief experienced among the Black
community that dates to the historical trauma of chattel slavery to the present. While this
presentation focuses on the experiences of Black communities, other communities could find
this information applicable.
MID-DAY BREAK 1:35pm -
2:05pm CT
2:05-3:10pm CT
Grieving Together, Grieving Apart: How Different Family Members Grieve Differently & How to Help
Grieving Together, Grieving Apart: How Different Family Members Grieve Differently & How to Help
Julia Samuel, MBE, BACP Acc. - Click here for information about Julia Samuel
Grief is universal, yet deeply personal. We’ll explore how different individuals in families
experience grief differently, and the role of transgenerational trauma. Recognizing that we
are as different on the inside as we look on the outside, we’ll explore how collective grief
and open communication can foster connection even in the face of profound loss. You’ll leave
with practical tools to help families navigate the complexity of grief with empathy and
respect.
3:20pm – 3:45pm
Closing Panel with Faculty and Q&A (NO CE)
Closing Panel with Faculty and Q&A (NO CE)
Zach Taylor, MA LPC and Paul Denniston, RYT 500
Join this special closing panel with David Kessler and Select Faculty to close out the
conference and collect all the takeaways from our time together.
The Ultimate Grief Treatment Toolbox: A 6-hour
Certification Workshop
Featuring Dr. Erica Sirrine, PhD, LCSW, FT - Click here for information about Erica H Sirrine
One of our most popular courses exploring a practical framework for working with grief and loss.
You’ll discover:
Featuring Dr. Erica Sirrine, PhD, LCSW, FT - Click here for information about Erica H Sirrine
One of our most popular courses exploring a practical framework for working with grief and loss.
You’ll discover:
- A comprehensive toolkit framework for working with all types of grief and loss
- Therapeutic games and art for children, teens, and adults
- Memorialization rituals for clients
- Interactive processes for families and groups
- The most common questions after a death and how to approach them
- Types of grief and their implications for treatment
Register now and upgrade
to get access to this bonus training (up to 6 CE hours INCLUDED!).
This offer is ONLY available prior to the ending of the live event and for those who select either of the CE upgrade packages.
This offer is ONLY available prior to the ending of the live event and for those who select either of the CE upgrade packages.
FREE 2-DAY ONLINE EVENT
2025 Grief Forum with David Kessler
LIVE Online July 31 – Aug 1, 2025 | 10:00am – 3:45pm CENTRAL
This free registration period CLOSES prior to the event. Register today!
Can't attend live? No problem!
Register above and get 14-day on-demand replay access, or upgrade to the recording package for lifetime access, free certification training, and a copy of David Kessler’s Finding Meaning book.
Register above and get 14-day on-demand replay access, or upgrade to the recording package for lifetime access, free certification training, and a copy of David Kessler’s Finding Meaning book.
*Up to 14 CE hours (8 live CE hours + 6 self-study CE hours) are available for a
nominal upgrade fee.
Register for FREE above to have immediate access to CE and Recording package options.
Register for FREE above to have immediate access to CE and Recording package options.
MEET YOUR
TRAINERS
David Kessler, MA, RN, FACHE, Widely known
as the most skilled grief therapist in the world, he’s been featured on every major
television network and publication. He coauthored On Grief and Grieving and
Life Lessons
with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and You Can Heal Your Heart: Finding Peace After a Breakup,
Divorce or Death with Louise Hay. He is the author of Finding Meaning; Visions,
Trips, and
Crowded Rooms; and The Needs of the Dying, praised by Mother Teresa.
Julie McFadden, RN, BSN, known globally as
“Hospice
Nurse Julie,” she’s the author of Nothing to Fear, DeMystifying Death to Live More
Fully,
and is the most widely followed hospice nurse online, amassing well over one million
followers.
Mary-Frances O'Connor, PhD, Associate
Professor
at the University of Arizona Department of Psychology, where she directs the Grief, Loss and
Social Stress (GLASS) Lab. Her research program focuses on the wide-ranging emotional
responses to bereavement. In particular, she investigates the neurobiological and
psychophysiological aspects that vary between individual grief responses via functional
neuroimaging, immune, and endocrine analysis. Dr. O’Connor’s book, The Grieving Brain: The
Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss has garnered praise from peers and
literary critics alike and has led to speaking engagements around the world. She wrote a
follow-up called The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing
(2025).
Frank Anderson, MD, Harvard-trained
psychiatrist and psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of trauma and
dissociation. He is passionate about teaching brain-based psychotherapy and integrating
current neuroscience knowledge with the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model of therapy. He’s
a senior lead trainer and program consultant for the IFS Institute with Richard Schwartz and
is the author of the Internal Family Systems Training Manual and memoir To Be Loved.
Erica Sirrine, PhD, Director of Social Work
at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, she has extensive experience in the field of death,
dying, and bereavement and is the former director of a bereavement center where she
counseled grieving children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Sirrine has also earned the
distinction of Fellow in Thanatology: Death, Dying and Bereavement from the Association for
Death Education and Counseling.
Julia Samuel, MBE, BACP Acc., is a leading
UK
psychotherapist. At St. Mary's Hospital Paddington, she established the post of
psychotherapist for Paediatrics, where her role for 25 years involved seeing families who
have children or babies who die, and where she trained and supported the staff. She helped
establish The Child Bereavement UK and as The Founder Patron was involved and in many
aspects of the charities work, having a key role in fundraising, strategy and training. She
has stepped back from active involvement now. In 2016, Julia was awarded an MBE in
recognition of her services to bereaved children and in 2017 Middlesex University awarded
her an Honorary Doctorate. She published This Too Shall Pass: Stories of Change Crisis and
Hopeful Beginnings, a Sunday Times bestseller.
Lisa Connors, PhD, LCPC, fellow
in Thanatology, Ms. Connors has been in the human services/social work/counseling/addiction
fields for over 30 years. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Maryland Chapter
of the National Association of Social Workers and is the past co-chair of the HIV Planning
Group for the state of Maryland. Currently, she serves as the interim secretary and
treasurer for the Pennsylvania Association of Addiction Professionals. In addition to her
clinical work, and a college professor at Anne Arundel Community College.
Paul Denniston, RYT 500, founder of Grief
Yoga®
which uses yoga, movement, breath and sound to release pain and suffering to connect to
empowerment and love. His intention with Grief Yoga is to combine many different forms of
yoga in order to channel and release anger and allow unresolved grief a compassionate space
to breathe and be released.
WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU
REGISTER FREE TODAY!
- All-access pass to the full 2025 Grief Forum – completely LIVE and interactive with your trainers
- 14-day Replay Access: unlimited and on demand.
- All the slides, handouts, scripts, and worksheets from presenters – yours to keep forever.
SPECIAL LIMITED TIME
UPGRADE OFFER!
-
Immediately after registering for FREE, you'll have the opportunity to upgrade to
get:
- Up to 8 LIVE or Self-Study CE Hours - choose LIVE or Self-Study at Checkout ($559.92 value)
- A hard copy of David Kessler’s best-selling Finding Meaning Grief Workbook ($19.99 value)
- Erica Sirrine’s Grief Certification Training with up to 6 Self-Study CE Hours
($249.99 value)
*Professional standards apply. Learn more at www.evergreencertifications.com/cgp
These three bonuses are only available to those who upgrade to the LIVE CE or Conference Recording packages before the event begins. Upgrade today by registering above!
FREE 2-DAY ONLINE EVENT
2025 Grief Forum with David Kessler
LIVE Online July 31 – Aug 1, 2025 | 10:00am – 3:45pm CENTRAL
This free registration period CLOSES prior to the event. Register today!
Can't attend live? No problem!
Register above and get 14-day on-demand replay access, or upgrade to the recording package for lifetime access, free certification training, and a copy of David Kessler’s Finding Meaning book.
Register above and get 14-day on-demand replay access, or upgrade to the recording package for lifetime access, free certification training, and a copy of David Kessler’s Finding Meaning book.
*Up to 14 CE hours (8 live CE hours + 6 self-study CE hours) are available for a
nominal upgrade fee.
Register for FREE above to have immediate access to CE and Recording package options.
Register for FREE above to have immediate access to CE and Recording package options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This is designed to be a crash course in introducing you to the ways therapists are
incorporating grief work into their current practices and models they already use. You’ll
also be given the resources to know where to go and how to dive deeper into any of these
methods if you’d like to go further after this training is done.
You’ll still have access to unlimited, on-demand replays for 14 days in your portal. Please
note you would need to watch the presentations as they are presented live in order to
receive live CE hours, which is a requirement of most licensing boards. If you cannot attend
live but wish to receive CE hours, just upgrade to the recording package where you can
receive self-study CE hours.
Every registrant gets complete unlimited replay access to the recording of the event for 14
days in your portal.
You can get unlimited access to the recording + self-study CE hours for only $69.99 when you select the Self-Study Package upgrade during registration.
You can get unlimited access to the recording + self-study CE hours for only $69.99 when you select the Self-Study Package upgrade during registration.
Yes! If you cannot attend live, you can simply upgrade to the recording package immediately
after registering above to earn up to 14 self-study CE hours. Register for free above
and then upgrade to the recording package on the next screen.
This conference is free to attend. However, if you’d like to earn CE hours (either live or
self-study with the recording package), you’ll need to upgrade for just a nominal fee.
Everyone who upgrades prior to the event will receive, in their course account, lifetime
access to Dr. Erica Sirrine’s popular “Ultimate Grief Treatment Toolbox” course ($249.99
value) completely free. This offer is not available to free attendees.
Yes, the live CE upgrade includes 14-day recording access and the Self-Study CE upgrade
includes unlimited recording access. You will be able to keep any handouts and/or manuals
from the presentations.
This event is eligible for up to 14 CE hours, depending on your individual board. We've
worked hard to make sure as many licensed mental health professionals as possible are
covered by this amazing training program.
Please note you would need to watch the presentations as they are presented live in order to receive live CE hours. Self-study hours are only available with the optional upgrade to the self-study recording package.
Please note you would need to watch the presentations as they are presented live in order to receive live CE hours. Self-study hours are only available with the optional upgrade to the self-study recording package.
There will be a 30-minute lunch and 10-minute breaks between each workshop. The detailed
schedule is above.
Yes! We’re confident you’ll find this learning experience to be all that’s promised and more
than you expected. However, if you’re not completely satisfied, give us a call at
800-844-8260 and we will honor our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.
Visit our FAQ page at www.pesi.com/faq or contact us at www.pesi.com/info
100%
Satisfaction
Guarantee
Register for this intensive training course without risk. If you're not completely
satisfied, give us
a
call at 800-844-8260.We’re that confident you'll find this learning experience to be all that's promised and more than you expected.
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FREE 2-DAY ONLINE EVENT
2025 Grief Forum with David Kessler
LIVE Online July 31 – Aug 1, 2025 | 10:00am – 3:45pm CENTRAL
This free registration period CLOSES prior to the event. Register today!
Can't attend live? No problem!
Register above and get 14-day on-demand replay access, or upgrade to the recording package for lifetime access, free certification training, and a copy of David Kessler’s Finding Meaning book.
Register above and get 14-day on-demand replay access, or upgrade to the recording package for lifetime access, free certification training, and a copy of David Kessler’s Finding Meaning book.
*Up to 14 CE hours (8 live CE hours + 6 self-study CE hours) are available for a
nominal upgrade fee.
Register for FREE above to have immediate access to CE and Recording package options.
Register for FREE above to have immediate access to CE and Recording package options.