Differential Diagnosis after Bereavement: Prolonged Grief Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Nonpathological Grief, And Related Conditions

Description

This course is a live, interactive webinar held on February 26, 2027, from 12pm-1pm Eastern Standard Time.

This reduced price webinar does not offer CE Credits. The same live event is available for purchase and offers 1 CE hour for behavioral health clinicians.  See "related products" below.

Registration closes at midnight (EST) the day before the event

When does grief become a diagnosable mental health condition? Distinguishing prolonged grief disorder from nonpathological bereavement, major depressive disorder, and trauma-related conditions requires more than identifying symptoms. It demands careful attention to duration, clinical context, and cultural norms to avoid both overdiagnosis and missed diagnoses.

Bereavement can involve profound distress without constituting a mental disorder. Yet when symptoms persist or intensify, clinicians must determine whether they reflect an expected grief process or a condition requiring targeted treatment. This 1-hour live webinar offers a practical approach to making those distinctions with greater diagnostic precision and cultural sensitivity.

Led by Jason Buckles, Ph.D., LPCC, this training draws on more than 25 years of clinical experience and two decades of teaching DSM-based assessment to graduate students and mental health professionals. His background in behavioral health consultation, diagnostic assessment, and treatment planning brings a seasoned clinical perspective to the complexities of differential diagnosis following bereavement.

Dr. Buckles uses a straightforward, lecture-based approach grounded in current literature and practice-based examples. He translates complex diagnostic criteria into manageable clinical considerations, helping participants examine patterns of symptoms over time and identify questions that can sharpen their diagnostic reasoning. His emphasis on a careful, replicable process makes the material relevant across theoretical orientations and practice settings.

The course begins by examining DSM-5-TR criteria for prolonged grief disorder, including duration thresholds and the importance of cultural and familial expectations surrounding bereavement. Participants will explore how persistent yearning and preoccupation with the deceased differ from the pervasive depressive mood associated with major depressive disorder. The discussion also examines post-traumatic stress disorder following traumatic loss, adjustment disorder, and the possibility of overlapping or co-occurring conditions. Throughout the training, Dr. Buckles addresses longitudinal assessment, relevant diagnostic probes, and the influence of medical, substance-related, and other biopsychosocial factors on case formulation.

Key Takeaways:

• Distinguish grief from disorder: Apply DSM-5-TR criteria for prolonged grief disorder while accounting for symptom duration, impairment, and cultural expectations to avoid pathologizing nonpathological bereavement.
• Recognize critical diagnostic differences: Identify how grief-centered yearning differs from pervasive depressive mood and trauma-related responses to better distinguish prolonged grief disorder, major depressive disorder, and related conditions.
• Strengthen complex case formulations: Use a longitudinal, culturally informed approach to evaluate overlapping symptoms and co-occurring conditions, supporting defensible diagnostic decisions and targeted treatment planning.

Why This Course?

• Navigate a consequential diagnostic challenge: Bereavement can obscure the presence of a mental disorder or lead to the misclassification of an expected human response. Gain a systematic approach to recognizing these distinctions while respecting individual experiences of loss.
• Learn from extensive clinical and teaching experience: Dr. Buckles combines decades of mental health practice with graduate-level instruction in DSM assessment. His practical teaching style makes complex diagnostic questions more accessible and relevant to everyday clinical decision-making.
• Invest in focused, clinically relevant education: Telehealth Certification Institute offers continuing education designed to equip behavioral health professionals with knowledge they can apply in practice. This concentrated 1-hour webinar addresses a specific diagnostic challenge without requiring an extensive training commitment.

Learning Objectives

• Apply DSM-5-TR prolonged grief disorder thresholds, including duration and cultural-context requirements.
• Differentiate grief-focused yearning from pervasive depressive mood and trauma-focused responses.
• Develop a defensible formulation when symptoms overlap or co-occur.

Grief can be painful and long-lasting without becoming a disorder. Knowing when clinical findings warrant a different diagnostic formulation is essential to ethical assessment and effective treatment planning. This webinar offers an opportunity to revisit foundational diagnostic principles and refine the clinical judgment needed to navigate bereavement-related presentations with greater confidence.

Format and Access

This course is a live, interactive webinar.

Course Details

Schedule: (listed in Eastern Daylight Time)

• 12:00 pm - 12:50 pm Lecture
• 12:50 pm - 1:00 pm Q&A

How to Attend: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Who Should Attend: 

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a live, interactive webinar. Enrollment includes access to live event(s) but does not include recordings of the presentations.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

About Jason Buckles, Ph.D., LPCC

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Jason earned his Bachelor’s in Psychology at New York University in 1996. While there, he worked on diagnostic projects at Bellevue Hospital and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He earned his Master’s in Counseling at The University of New Mexico in 2001 and his Ph.D. in Special Education at The University of New Mexico in 2016. His dissertation focused on the experiences of direct support professionals who support people with sexually challenging behavior. Since 2002 Jason has been the owner of Talkabout Inc., a Behavior Consultation agency specializing in support for people with intellectual disability and concurrent mental health diagnoses. From 2012 through 2016, Jason was the Statewide Clinical Director of the New Mexico Department of Health – Bureau of Behavioral Support, overseeing statewide systems of behavioral support consultation. From 2016-2019 Jason was the Executive Director of A Better Way of Living, a CQL-accredited agency that provides life-wide supports for people with intellectual disability. He is currently a contracting consultant with the New Mexico Department of Health, where he supervises the sexual risk screening program, and the ongoing development of behavior support systems, and provides statewide trainings on co-occurring mental health conditions for people with intellectual disability, among other topics. For several years Jason has also served as the Program Manager for the Developmental Disability/Mental Illness project with the University of New Mexico. For most of the past 20 years, he was a part-time instructor at both The University of New Mexico, teaching Introduction to Intellectual Disability, and at New Mexico Highlands University, teaching DSM Assessment for Counselors.

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor(s) for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

This reduced price webinar does not offer CE credits, just great content.

The same live event is available for purchase and offers 1 CE hour for behavioral health clinicians.  See "related products" below.

Participants may request a printed version of their certificate of attendance to be delivered by mail. A shipping/handling fee of $6.95 will be charged per request. Shipping internationally may require an additional charge.

Agreement

By registering for this event you are agreeing to the following:

• 24 hour notice is required if you are not able to make it to a live event. Recordings are not provided to webinar registrants.
• To update and test using Zoom.us/test before the event to ensure you are ready for the event.
• Since this is a live interactive event it means that your interaction during the event is expected.  Your name and image will be visible to other participants during the live event. You will NOT be included in any recording made.
• An evaluation must be completed within one week of the event. Continuing Education credit(s) cannot be issued unless you attend the event and the evaluation is submitted.  (Evaluation is not mandatory for APA hours)
• Partial CE credits are not possible; therefore you are required to be present throughout the event in order to receive CE credits.
• Respect all other participants during the event as though you would if you were sitting with the other attendees at a conference table:
  • Dress appropriately
  • Be in a private location void of distractions
  • Do not multitask
  • Do not drive during an event
  • Remain on mute unless you are sharing with the group

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement