Estrangement and Grief
Clinical Interventions for Ambiguous, Disenfranchised, and Complicated Loss
- Speaker:
- Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC
- Duration:
- 1 Hour 04 Minutes
- Language:
- Presented in EN, subtitles in EN and FR, handouts in EN and FR
- Format:
- Audio and Video
- Copyright:
-
Apr 16, 2026
- Product Code:
- POS150666
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar - Also available: Digital Seminar
Description
Estrangement – from parents, adult children, siblings, or extended family – is one of the most complex and misunderstood forms of grief clients experience. Often invisible and socially unacknowledged, estrangement can leave individuals grieving someone who is still alive, while simultaneously managing shame, self-doubt, loyalty conflicts, and chronic uncertainty.
Join therapist and best-selling author Claire Bidwell Smith as she draws on nearly two decades of grief-focused clinical work to explore estrangement as a form of ambiguous and disenfranchised loss. This training will help clinicians understand the emotional, relational, and identity-level impacts of estrangement, recognize why these losses often remain unresolved, and apply practical, compassionate interventions to support clients navigating estrangement with greater clarity, self-trust, and emotional integration.
Credit
Speaker
Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC Related seminars and products
Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC
Recognized as one of today’s foremost experts on grief, Claire Bidwell Smith is a licensed therapist, international speaker, and the author of five books published in 22 countries. Led by her own experience in grief and fueled by her work in hospice and private practice, Claire strives to provide support for all kinds of people experiencing all kinds of loss. clairebidwellsmith.com.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Claire Bidwell Smith maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Conscious Grieving Inc. She receives royalties as a published author. Claire Bidwell Smith receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Claire Bidwell Smith is a board member of The End Well Foundation.
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Additional Info
Program Information
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com.
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Objectives
- Analyze estrangement as a form of ambiguous and disenfranchised grief and identify its clinical implications for long-term emotional processing.
- Recognize common emotional patterns in estranged clients, including shame, self-doubt, chronic hope, and identity disruption.
- Utilize narrative-based interventions to help clients integrate estrangement into their personal grief story without self-pathologizing.
- Apply grounding and mindfulness strategies to support clients experiencing anxiety, hypervigilance, or emotional flooding related to estranged relationships.
Outline
- Estrangement as grief: understanding ambiguous and disenfranchised loss
- Common pathways to estrangement (neglect, abuse, boundary setting, loyalty conflicts)
- Why estranged grief is often chronic, cyclical, and unresolved
- What clinicians frequently miss when working with estranged clients
- Shame, self-blame and identity disruption in estrangement
- Navigating hope, fantasy, and repeated re-injury
- Narrative interventions for meaning-making and self-trust
- Grounding and mindfulness strategies for anxiety and emotional dysregulation
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Target Audience
- Counsellors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Nurses
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Other Mental Health Professionals
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