As a trained therapist, you’re likely familiar with the pivotal work of Swiss-American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and her model of the 5 stages of dying.

Elisabeth knew they were being misinterpreted. So, she recruited her friend David Kessler to co-author a book adapting her stages of dying to stages of grief. The result was the classic book, On Grief and Grieving.

The profound effect of the 5 Stages of Grief cannot be overstated. It has been instrumental in helping therapists around the world help their clients through grief. They give a reassuring structure to the unknown terrain of grief.

However, the “stages model” has created some misuse and simplification that Elisabeth never intended…

Such as the expectation that these stages are linear…

That people in grief move smoothly and simply from one stage to the next on a neat little timeline, with no overlap or backtracking.

The truth is, people in grief cannot—and should not—be classified by stage. Nor should we expect them to be further along in their grief than they are.

Grief just doesn’t work that way.

Elisabeth and David stressed that grief is highly personal. It’s messy. It defies logic and timelines and deadlines.

And yet, people still say well-meaning, hurtful things like, “It’s been a year, shouldn’t you be over him by now?”

Tone-deaf comments like these happen ALL the time because as a society, we don’t know how to talk about death. People are so uncomfortable with it they try to skip over it, and get others to do the same.

Fortunately, world-renowned grief and loss expert David Kessler, who worked by her side, has pioneered new methods and tools to help you better understand the art and science of caring for the grieving…

So you can help your clients create a healthy grieving process.

David Kessler is one of the world’s foremost experts on healing and loss. He’s written five bestselling books on the subject. He’s also co-authored two bestsellers with the legendary Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: On Grief & Grieving and Life Lessons.

He’s worked with Elizabeth Taylor, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Carrie Fisher after their loved ones died. He’s worked with survivors of 9/11 and the Las Vegas shooting in 2017, and with the parents of Sandy Hook Elementary school students.

There are few people better qualified to teach these innovative counseling methods than David Kessler.
 
These new approaches have evolved the 5 Stages Model, as well as other models, and are designed to help you meet your clients where they are in the grieving process—without classifying them or putting them on a timeline.

They give you the tools and language to talk with your clients about grief and grieving in deeper, more meaningful ways…

So your clients can feel free of internal judgment and shame, thinking they should be “grieving better” than they are because they’re making others uncomfortable.

You can access these breakthrough methods and grief treatments in an important, comprehensive course: