Grief Support Specialist Program - Continuing Education and Workforce Development

Douglas C. Smith has three masters’ degrees in three different healthcare disciplines (M.Div., MA, MS), giving him a truly holistic approach to healthcare. He has most recently been the lead instructor in the University of Wisconsin’s Grief Support Specialist Certificate program. Before that he trained social workers, psychotherapists, counselors, nurses, chaplains, physicians and other healthcare professionals in meeting the various needs of the dying and the grieving, having done trainings/workshops in all 50 states and all the provinces in Canada; he has also authored eight books on those subjects. In addition to working for several hospices in multiple capacities throughout his career, he has also had much personal experience in grieving, having lost his parents, a brother and two daughters to death and having been a patient in a mental hospital for an extended period of time. Doug lives with his partner Tara (a mosaic artist) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. All training session's with Doug are pre-recorded. 

Dr. Yan Zhao Ciupak is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Northern Michigan University.  She developed the first MSW and Sociology course on Death, Dying, and Bereavement at Northern Michigan University and co-founded the Grief Support Specialist program. She has an extensive list of national and international publications and speeches to her credit. She was interviewed on TV, radio, and other platforms and given academic talks and workshops about death, dying, and grief. As a Grief Support Specialist, a certified Yoga Instructor, and a meditation practitioner, she advocates for mindfulness-based integrative pedagogies and care. Her most recent book <Supporting the Dying and Grieving: Principles, Tools, and Cases> will be published by Springer Publishing Company in 2025.

Caroline has been a hospice grief group facilitator, a leader of children bereavement camp, and a researcher for subjective wellbeing in the Global Health field. She has ample of experience working with diverse populations who face all sorts of loss – children losing parents and their home, older adults losing their spouses and/or children, and refugees losing their family members and homeland. Caroline has worked with people from all walks of life and in different parts of the world, such as Hong Kong, China, the U.K., Canada, India, and the U.S. She has also been an advocate for children and families from multicultural populations at court in Minnesota.

Caroline Cheng earned a Doctorate in Global Health and Development, specializing the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers; a Master’s Degree in Social Work; and a postgraduate certificate in Education. She is currently teaching various Social Work Courses at the Northern Michigan University as an assistant professor. Her research interests and practice experiences include health and well-being, trauma and coping mechanisms, human rights advocacy, spirituality social work, holistic healing, child protection, and migration. She is actively working on global collaborations and involved in research projects relating to political asylum seeking and trauma, as well as the impact of Covid-19 on wellbeing. She has published a few articles on various topics, such as the impact of social connections on subjective wellbeing.

Molly Tomony MA, ATR-BC, LPC is a board-certified, registered Art Therapist and licensed professional counselor. She has worked at hospice, Gilda's Club and Rainbow Project providing grief groups for children and teens who are grieving or have experienced trauma. Molly currently coordinates the Art Therapy program at Edgewood College in Madison, WI. She understands the power of art to express feelings when words are not enough. Witnessing young people use art to transform pain and anger into insight and growth has fueled her to continue this work for over 25 years. In her free time, she likes to paint and spend time outdoors with her family. 

Dr. Mark helps people who have suffered traumatic loss and complicated or prolonged grief through individual sessions provided in person in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, or via telehealth anywhere in the US. 

In addition to working with individuals, Dr. Mark serves people experiencing a wide variety of losses through virtual and in-person groups. Topics addressed include supporting parents following loss of a child due to illness, suicide, trauma, miscarriage, or stillbirth; and spouses or families of those suffering traumatic brain injury or life-changing illnesses such as ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, or other dementias. 

Dr. Mark works with families, congregations, and communities in the face of tragedy from accidents, shootings, natural disasters, and suicide. He is available for speaking engagements at universities, educational events, and community settings. He provides consultation to physicians, attorneys, pastors, teachers, and church workers as they support their people through loss and grief.