Death Education Comes to Arizona State University! Finally!

After three long years of work and effort, the graduate program for the Certificate in Trauma and Bereavement is ready to accept its first cohort.

Why is this important? Because traumatic loss and grief can have devastating effects on both the individual and the community – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. From a strictly economic standpoint, the price tag for unresolved grief amounts to billions of dollars each year in lost productivity, lower job performance, and destructive coping (Ayers, et al., 2004), and the "hidden annual cost of grief in the workplace" related to grief after a loved one's death is estimated at $37.4 billion. In the case of premature or sudden and traumatic death, grief-stricken families are often overwhelmed by the enormity of the death of a loved one, and with little or no support from those around them all too easily may fall into a downward spiral of destructive coping behaviors (Kissane, 2000). 

In sum, we hope to help educate our community to improve standards of care to the bereaved, increase understanding and support to the bereaved, and provide hope for the future.

If you know someone who may be interested, please pass along this link:

http://ssw.asu.edu/portal/academic/certificates/trauma-and-bereavement