Dying, Death and Grief

First and foremost, this is a course about living. It is about how people respond to life altering circumstances. At its core, this course will focus on how people live with the many realities that surround dying, death and bereavement.

The class will begin at the point of terminal or life-threatening diagnosis, or a prognosis in which death is a very real possibility. We will then journey with people—the terminally ill, their families and communities—during this living-dying chapter of life. A companion during this study will be the changing face of grief. As we progress, we will take time to touch on other emotional states such as anger, guilt, and anxiety. We will explore the nature of physical and emotional pain and its relationship to suffering. This is a profoundly spiritual sojourn into places of chaos, peace, fear and hope.

About the instructor: Dr. Clarke earned a BA (Dalhousie); an MDiv (Trinity College, Toronto); and a DMin (St. Stephen’s College, Edmonton). His specializations include pastoral psychotherapy, death and dying, trauma and trauma recovery, guilt, forgiveness, and peace. He teaches courses in these areas, as well as sexuality, congregational dynamics and development, leadership, personality theory, sports and religion, and individual and community resilience. He is a certified trainer and supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education supervisors.

Dates: January 13 - April 7, 2026.

Days & Times: Tuesdays, 6:30pm-9:00pm.

Requirements: Readings and discussions. Further details provided when the course begins.

Books to purchase: TBA

Fee: $600.00

Format: Internet Synchronous.

Please note: This Continuing Education program is non-credit, meaning it cannot be counted toward a degree or diploma, and will not be transcripted. Continuing Education registrations are refundable until 48 hours before a program commences, minus the Eventbrite processing fee. After that time, fees are non-refundable.

Questions? Please contact: Lydia Hood, Continuing Education Coordinator,(lydia.hood@astheology.ns.ca) or the instructor, Dr. Jody Clarke (jody.clarke@astheology.ns.ca).