Dec 04, 2024  
2024-2025 Edgewood College Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Edgewood College Catalog

Thanatology, Faith Communities, End of Life, and Grief Support Post-Master’s Certificate


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Degree Programs, Majors, Minors, and Certificates

The leaders within faith communities often find themselves unprepared for supporting families at the end of life. This post-master’s certificate offers faith community leaders the information they need to better understand the challenges families face when a family member is dying; and how to best support families in grief.

Learning Objectives:

  • Discern, reflect upon, and evaluate student’s own relationship with death and grief, both as an individual and a member of society
  • Examine best practices in end-of-life care and grief support
  • Examine and evaluate the role of the family as the unit of care, and the ways family dynamics impact children and adolescents with respect to dying, death, and grief.
  • Explore the ethical and moral challenges and dilemmas faced during the dying process and at the end of life
  • Examine the notion of “total pain” as coined by Dame Cicely Saunders, and how spiritual care can inform compassionate care for the dying and the grieving.

Program Requirements


All certificates are 12 credits, and all require THN600: Introduction to Thanatology or its equivalent (after consultation with the program director, this course might be waived). THN600 need be taken only once and can be applied to subsequent certificates, or students may choose a fourth course in its stead.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Degree Programs, Majors, Minors, and Certificates