Prolonged Grief Disorder: Understanding, Assessing, and Treating PGD
Friday, November 14, 2025
8:45am-12pm Eastern Time (New York)
Live Interactive Webinar
CE Hours: 3.0 (see CE Info tab)
Discounts Available:
Full Day Discount: Save $10 on the full day when you register for the morning AND afternoon session. Discount applied automatically when both courses are added to your cart.
Group Discount: $59 per person for Groups of 3+ REGISTER YOUR GROUP HERE
About This Course
For mental health professionals, issues related to grief can arise for any client at any given time. This continuing education training aims to provide therapists with a comprehensive understanding of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD), including its historical context within the DSM, differential diagnosis considerations, effective clinical interventions, and guidelines for appropriate referrals. Through a combination of sociohistorical review, theoretical framework, case studies, and practical clinical interventions, participants will gain the necessary knowledge and skills to recognize and diagnose PGD, as well as an understanding of the controversies around its inclusion in DSM.
Presenter
Litsa Williams, MA, LCSW-C is the co-founder of the online grief community What’s Your Grief. She’s a grief therapist with 15 years of experience specializing in grief, with expertise in sudden and traumatic loss as well as ambiguous grief. Drawing on personal and professional experience with grief, WYG was built as a resource offering concrete, practical, creative, down-to-earth, and relatable support, founded on the values of psychoeducation and creative coping. It has grown to serve more than 5 million visitors each year. Litsa received her master’s degree in clinical social work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work, as well as a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Warwick (UK). She has been interviewed as a grief expert for the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and New York Times. She co-authored the book What's Your Grief: Lists to Help You Through Any Loss.
Training Objectives
After attending this training, participants will be able to...
Understand the historical evolution of grief-related diagnoses within the DSM, tracing the changes from earlier editions to the current classification of Prolonged Grief Disorder.
Differentiate between Prolonged Grief Disorder and other mental health conditions, such as Major Depressive Disorder and PTSD, utilizing established assessment tools and clinical interview techniques.:
Explore evidence-based therapeutic approaches and interventions to address identified ‘DERAILERS’ known to interfere with adaptation following a bereavement loss.
Discuss considerations and guidelines for making appropriate referrals to specialized PGD services, recognizing when additional support or treatment is necessary.
Target Audience
Social Workers, Licensed Professional Counselors, Psychologists, Addictions Counselors, other mental health professionals
Content Level
Intermediate
