Published on February 09, 2010

"Transforming Spiritual Pain"
teaches caring for the dying

"Transforming Spiritual Pain," the fourth segment in the Sacred Art of Living & Dying course, will teach the skills of the death vigil through a transformative learning experience at the Smullin Health Education Center on the Rogue Valley Medical Center campus on February 19 and 20 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. The class is open to health care professionals, faith community leaders, and the public.

No one wants to die alone, but family and friends may feel uncertain or uneasy about what to say or do during a death vigil. Traditionally, when a person was dying, the family, friends, and clergymen would gather around the patient to offer their presence and support to the patient as well as to one another. But today, patients may have little or no family members nearby to keep vigil. At such times, a person with training can be a great help.

The workshop will cover practices surrounding the death vigil process and apply lessons learned from classical tools in a contemporary setting. Participants will explore a variety of psycho-social-spiritual models designed to support the dying journey.  In addition, attention is given to ethical issues at the end of life, the impact of care giving on caregivers, healthy self-care for caregivers, memorial services, and grief support for family and friends.   

Instructor is Richard Groves, M.A., chaplain, educator, pastoral counselor for 26 years, and co-founder of the Sacred Art of Living Center in Bend, Oregon (http://www.sacredartofliving.org). The class qualifies as contact hours for 14 CEUs for nurses (CA & NV), social workers (NASW & CA BBSE), and MFT's (CA).

Registration deadline is Wednesday, February 17. Program Tuition $150 - Lunch is included

For information and to obtain an official course flyer with registration instructions and form,contact:  541-789-5219 or rmarie-gumpel@asante.org.