Treating Grief-Stricken Clients: Culturally Sensitive Interventions

Individuals struggling with grief who are told to "get over it" or "move on" - and practitioners working with clients whose grief doesn't follow expected timelines or presentations - can need more than traditional approaches to understand that grief is not a problem to solve but a natural part of life to live alongside. Tiffani Dilworth has dedicated over a decade to revolutionising how we understand and treat grief, becoming an internationally recognised expert who helps people learn to "live alongside their grief" rather than trying to overcome it.

As Host of the Managing My Grief Podcast and Fellow in Thanatology with the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), Dilworth brings specialised expertise that bridges clinical training with authentic understanding of the grieving process. Her role as Host of Grief Summit 2022 alongside renowned experts David Kessler, Megan Devine, Megan McQuary, and Litsa Williams demonstrates her recognition as a leading voice in contemporary grief work. Her books 11 Tools to Help Manage the Aftermath of Trauma and Types of Grief reflect her commitment to making grief education accessible while challenging cultural taboos around discussing loss and bereavement.

Dilworth's expertise spans grief counseling, prolonged grief disorder, multicultural grief counseling, sexual trauma, religious trauma, PTSD, and what she describes as helping clients understand the "different kinds of grief" that aren't widely recognised. Her approach recognises that grief isn't limited to death - it encompasses divorce, job loss, health changes, relationship endings, and any significant life transition that involves loss. She specialises in working with clients whose grief has been disenfranchised or misunderstood, those experiencing complicated or prolonged grief reactions, and practitioners wanting to develop authentic expertise in contemporary grief work.

What sets her training apart is cultural wisdom combined with clinical expertise. Dilworth doesn't just teach grief theory - she shows practitioners how to help clients navigate a culture that actively discourages healthy grieving while developing skills to support natural grief processes. Her emphasis on "living alongside grief" rather than "getting over it" reflects her understanding that healing doesn't mean returning to who you were before loss occurred.

For your practice, expect to gain specific techniques for different types of grief presentations, tools for supporting clients through prolonged or complicated grief, and frameworks for helping clients develop healthy relationships with their ongoing grief experiences. Her approach particularly benefits practitioners working with trauma survivors, those treating clients with complicated grief reactions, or clinicians wanting to develop expertise in contemporary grief counseling approaches.

Quick Win: Dilworth helps clients and clinicians move beyond rigid “stage models,” reframing grief as an ongoing experience to live alongside rather than something to “get over.” This shift can provide the first real sense of validation people receive for the uniqueness of their grief.

Qualifications

• MA, Community Counseling, Oklahoma State University
• Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)
• Fellow in Thanatology (FT), Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC)
• Certified Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist (CAGCS)
• State Approved Trainer for grief education and continuing education
• Over a decade of experience in mental health care industry

Authored Publications

• Types of Grief (author, workbook format covering different grief types, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Lulu)
• 11 Tools to Help Manage the Aftermath of Trauma (author, self-published practical strategies for trauma survivors, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Lulu)

Professional Experience

• Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Private Practice, current
• Affiliate, PsychExperts & Associates, Inc., Baltimore, MD, current
• International Speaker, Grief counseling, current
• Worked with: Core Wellness, Telehealth, At Health, Edmond Counseling & Professional Development, E-Care Behavioral Health Institute, PESI

Media & Speaking

• International Speaker
• Keynote Speaker for youth, college students, church groups, women's groups, conferences, and workshops
• Host, Managing My Grief Podcast (managingmygrief.buzzsprout.com)
• Host, Grief Summit 2022 (alongside David Kessler, Megan Devine, Megan McQuary, Litsa Williams)
• Presenter, Grief Summit 2023
• Guest, Beyond Clarity radio show
• Featured expert on various grief-related platforms and media

Clinical Specialties

• Grief counseling and bereavement support
• Prolonged grief disorder and complicated grief
• Multicultural grief counseling approaches
• Sexual trauma and religious trauma treatment
• PTSD and trauma therapy
• Thanatology (death, dying, and bereavement)
• Couples therapy with grief and loss components

Innovation & Philosophy

• Pioneer in "living alongside grief" rather than "getting over it" approach
• Expert in different types of grief beyond death-related loss
• Advocate for breaking cultural taboos around discussing grief
• Developer of practical, accessible grief education resources
• Champion of normalising grief as a natural part of life

Ready to help clients develop healthy relationships with their grief while challenging cultural expectations about "moving on"? Discover how Tiffani Dilworth's contemporary grief methods can transform your understanding of loss and bereavement while giving you the tools to support clients in living authentically alongside their grief experiences.