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Elements and Performance Criteria

  1. Identify effects and impact of loss and features of grief
  2. Engage empathically with people who are living with loss
  3. Provide support for individuals who are grieving and identify potential for healing and growth
  4. Identify, inform and refer to appropriate grief and bereavement care services and resources
  5. Identify and recognise risks associated with grief and bereavement support
  6. Access appropriate supervision and debriefing
  7. Review and evaluate grief and bereavement support provided

Required Skills

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit

Essential knowledge

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

These include knowledge of

Potential impact of specific losses and common features of grief and bereavement at the individual family and community level

Potential impact of specific losses and common features of trauma at the individual family and community level

Potential impact of specific losses and common features of complex grief at the individual family and community level

Reactions to loss and associated expressions of grief and bereavement

Awareness of how loss grief and bereavement can impact on social and emotional health and well being

Integration of loss

Distinctive social cultural ethnic and spiritual differences in loss grief and bereavement

Awareness of the context and circumstances prior to loss and their impact on grief and bereavement

Awareness of the broad spectrum of loss

Strategies for formal and informal grief and bereavement support

Available grief and bereavement care services and information resources

Understanding of a stress vulnerability model

Essential skills

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to

Recognise expressions of loss grief trauma and bereavement

Respond appropriately to a range of approaches and responses to loss grief and trauma

Engage with individuals experiencing loss grief trauma and bereavement with empathy sensitivity professionalism and courtesy

Refer individuals who show some signs of mental illness to appropriate services

In addition the candidate must be able to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

These include the ability to

Apply verbal and nonverbal approaches to dealing with and responding to grieving individuals

Use effective communication skills including

empathic listening skills

use appropriate communication techniques to respond to individual needs

provide information clearly and sensitively

obtain feedback to confirm understanding

Maintain documentation as required including effective use of relevant information technology in line with occupational health and safety OHS guidelines

Evidence Required

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria Required Skills and Knowledge the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this unit of competency

The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills

This unit is best assessed in the workplace or in a simulated workplace under the normal of range conditions

Assessment should be gathered on one or more occasions but must reflect the normal range of client situations encountered in the workplace

Access and equity considerations

All workers in community services should be aware of access equity and human rights issues in relation to their own area of work

All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment

In recognition of particular issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities workers should be aware of cultural historical and current issues impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues in particular relating to factors impacting on Aboriginal andor Torres Strait Islander clients and communities

Context of and specific resources for assessment

This unit can be assessed independently however holistic assessment practice with other community services units of competency is encouraged

Method of assessment

Consistent performance and development would be expected to be demonstrated involving a combination of oral and written media while also featuring simulated and actual practice

Examples might include

group exercises

written eg journal and verbal responses to questioning

simulated exercises


Range Statement

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Loss may include:

Primary losses

Secondary losses:

losses of the internal world, such as loss of cognitive or sensory capacity

interaction losses

losses of the external world, such as material or personal losses

Cumulative losses

Features of grief may include:

Sadness

Longing

Somatic complaints

Integration

Expressions of grief may include:

Anger

Anxiety

Change in worldview

Chronic sorrow

Confusion

Depression

Despair

Drop in self-esteem

Fear of going mad

Feeling unable to cope

Guilt and remorse

Helplessness

Hopelessness

Loneliness

Questioning of values and beliefs

Relief

Shock and disbelief

Suicidal ideation

Social, cultural, ethnic and spiritual differences in loss, grief and bereavement may include:

Reactions to loss

Individual expressions of grief and bereavement

Cultural expressions of grief and bereavement

Spiritual and religious beliefs relating to loss, grief and bereavement

Coping strategies

The context and circumstances prior to loss may include:

Socioeconomic circumstances

Presence of mental illness in the deceased

Age of deceased

Family relationships

Integration of loss may include:

Dual process

Meaning reconstruction

Continuing bonds

Disenfranchised grief

Grieving styles

Interact with individuals with empathy, sensitivity, professionalism and courtesy may include:

Empathic listening

Identifying and affirming the grieving person's strengths and opportunities

Helping manage overwhelming feelings to facilitate coping

Using questions and concreteness to focus on identifying immediate needs and concerns

Facilitating informed choices by the grieving person

Unconditional positive regard for the grieving person

Non-judgemental approach

Genuineness of response

Appropriate verbal and non-verbal approaches may include:

Verbal approaches that support empathy, sensitivity, professionalism and courtesy

Facial expressions, gestures, eye contact and personal space that support empathy, sensitivity, professionalism and courtesy

Empathic listening skills may include:

Appropriate brief encouragers which help the grieving person relate their story and concerns

Reflection of feelings /thoughts, behaviours and experience (content)

Hearing the grieving person's concerns

Paraphrasing (reflection of content)

Using open and closed questions to expand or clarify understanding

Understanding the grieving person's context

Recognising when higher levels of care may be indicated

Balancing the frequency of questions

Summarising and closure

Application of listening skills within culturally-appropriate boundaries

Difficulty in coping with grief and trauma may include:

Symptoms of separation distress

Symptoms of traumatic distress/stress

Complex grieving

Suicidal ideation

Grief and bereavement support strategies and grief and bereavement care services may include:

Aboriginal health services

Coronial services

Emergency services

Empathic listening

General practitioners

Group grief counselling

Health services

Individual grief counselling

Palliative care services and teams

Practical support

Psychological services

Spiritual and faith care services

Support group

Telephone counselling services

Referral procedures may include:

Referral information

Referral databases

Referral protocols

Grief and bereavement care information resources may include:

Internet resources

Fact sheets

Information packs

Risks associated with grief and bereavement support may include:

Compassion fatigue

Vicarious traumatisation

Burnout

Lack of adequate supervision

Lack of access to external expertise

Strategies to minimise risks associated with grief and bereavement support may include:

Self care

Supervision

Debriefing

Back up support

External networks and expertise

The need to access to appropriate supervision and/or debriefing may include:

Duty of care to clients

Self care