Event Details - 8-Day Treating Grief and Traumatic Loss Retreat

Spread over your six-days of classroom time with internationally renowned trauma therapist, trainer, author, and neuroscientist, Dr. Kate Truitt, you will move through the full landscape of treating grief and traumatic loss — death-related bereavement, certainly, but also divorce, betrayal, moral injury, chronic illness, identity disruption, ambiguous loss, the quiet griefs that don’t receive social validation.

In this immersive retreat you’ll learn nervous system regulation-first, clinically precise interventions you can use immediately. You'll also explore the neurological underpinnings of grief with a special focus on the role of trauma in healing grief.

Between deeply experiential sessions, you’re invited to be nourished by the unhurried pace of the jungle. Slip into the saltwater infinity pool, take a meditative stroll on the sand, explore the local village, or melt into a treatment at the spa. The center itself and surrounding region, known for longevity and a culture of well‑being, creates an environment that naturally supports settling the nervous system and replenishing clinical presence.

And the sunsets over the Pacific Ocean...pure magic.

Elevate your practice and empower your clients to heal and thrive amidst profound loss.

Grief shows up everywhere—bereavement, divorce, betrayal, chronic illness, identity rupture, ambiguous loss—and when trauma is braided into that loss, the usual default treatments often fail.

But just imagine if grief and loss work stopped feeling like a clinical guessing game. Not because your clients are “easy,” but because you finally have a clear, nervous-system-informed way to assess what you’re seeing and choose what to do next.

Too often clinicians can mistake grief for depression. They may begin trauma work before the nervous system is stable enough, or rely solely on supportive counseling even when clients are stuck in predictable patterns—persistent yearning, intrusive images, rumination, shutdown, survivor guilt, or chronic alarm.

This retreat provides that missing bridge.

At the end of this training, you’ll be able to:

Differentiate grief patterns from PTSD and depression
Recognize when grief has become prolonged or trauma-bound
Sequence stabilization and processing without stalling progress or overwhelming the client
Become certified as an Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist (CAGCS)

This is not just about acquiring new knowledge—it's about transforming your therapeutic approach to provide deeper, cutting-edge interventions, and more effective care for those grappling with grief and traumatic loss.

Don’t miss this opportunity to join Dr. Truitt and a cohort of your colleagues on this journey of professional and personal growth!

June in Nosara, Costa Rica carries a quieter kind of magic. The lush jungle is vibrant with howler monkeys, iguanas, and tropical birds, the ocean stays warm long after sunset, and the pace softens into something deliberate and nourishing. As part of one of the world’s rare Blue Zones, Nosara offers an invitation: move your body daily, rest deeply, and return to what truly matters.

At Blue Spirit Retreat Center, you’ll find delicious vegetarian food that has been carefully crafted to fuel the body. You can spend your free time easily going back and forth between the warm ocean and saltwater pool... or experience a world-class spa treatment. Live like a local and ride into Guiones for their famous artisan farmers market, take a surf lesson, or book a once-in-a-lifetime nature excursion. The options in Costa Rica are endless.

Your Journey to this Costa Rican Paradise Includes*:

Grief and traumatic loss treatment strategies and neuroscience-informed trauma treatment approaches
Experiential learning, live demos, and Q&As with a renowned grief and trauma expert
Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist (CAGCS) Application Fee – a $99.99 value!
Up to 22 CE Hours, CE certificate & course manual
Stunning views, peaceful environment, and saltwater pool
Pristine mountain jungle walking trails and 3 miles of white sand beaches
Private lodging for the duration of your stay
Luxurious room accommodation of choice, including scenic mountain or ocean view options
Free time for relaxation & excursions
All Standard Blue Spirit Amenities -
- Gourmet Vegetarian Cuisine (3 meals/day)
- Saltwater Infinity Pool
- On-Site Spa** (on-site reservations required)
- Direct access to Guiones Beach
- Deeply Relaxing Environment within the Costa Rican jungle
- Blue Spirit Cafe & Store**
- Convenient Travel – Blue Spirit Airport Shuttle Available & Highly Recommended**

Blue Spirit Costa Rica has a world class spa on site. Whether you’re experiencing underlying tensions in your tissues, seeking energetic balance, or simply in the mood to be pampered – all Blue Spirit bodyworkers, therapists, and counselors are highly qualified, excel in what they do, and enjoy being of service.

The Nosara Longevity Center at Blue Spirit offers a variety of health protocols and treatments to restore and maintain your state of optimal wellbeing and enhanced vitality. Developed by Blue Spirit founder, Stephan Rechtschaffen, MD.

Spa and longevity services can be booked once you arrive at the retreat center.

Guests rave about the treats at the café. If you like to start your day with a healthy superfood smoothie, fresh coconut water or fresh vegetable juice, or prefer to indulge in an afternoon cappuccino with an assortment of freshly made gluten-free and vegan snacks, the Blue Spirit Café is your spot. In the evening, guests like to mingle in the relaxing atmosphere while sipping excellent organic wines or refresh with a chilled artisanal beer or kombucha.

Whether you forgot your sunscreen at home or wish to treat yourself or friends at home with a little gift from Costa Rica: the Blue Spirit Store offers women’s and men’s apparel, spiritual books, gift items and snack foods, as well as personal and sundry items.

1. Grief Overview: Grief, Bereavement, and Traumatic Loss

Types of grief and implications for treatment
Challenging traditional assumptions about grief progression
Normalizing what feels abnormal for clients in grief
Grief and loss across the lifespan
Exploration of multicultural and spiritual considerations

2. Trauma-Informed Approach to the Grief Intake and Assessment Process

Differentiating grief counseling vs. grief therapy
Boundaries of professional competence: scope, referral thresholds, and consultation decision points
Intake and assessment considerations

3. Neuroscience of Traumatic Loss, Grief, and Recovery: Amygdala, Prefrontal Cortex, and Beyond

The brain’s response to loss: threat detection, attachment systems, memory networks
Amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and autonomic nervous system patterns in grief
Cognitive, emotional, somatic, and physiological responses to loss
Separation anxiety and attachment activation in grief
Clinical translation: how neuroscience informs pacing, language, and sequencing

4. Building the Foundational Neuroplasticity Intervention Toolkit

Clinical tracking tools for trauma-informed interventions and recovery
Bottom-up and top-down interventions: review of the literature and mechanisms of action
Ethical issues, clinical considerations, risks, and limitations

5. Treating Traumatic Encodings in Traumatic Loss

Pacing and phase-based treatment – building the intervention plan
Assessing client readiness for trauma intervention
Navigating amygdala hyperreactivity through a trauma-informed lens
Four-step process for titrated trauma desensitization

6. Interventions and Strategies for Traumatic and/or Complicated Grief, Including:

Vicarious trauma – when a grieving person is repeatedly exposed to other people’s trauma physiology
Generational trauma – how inherited survival patterns shape grief expression, pacing, and meaning

7. Sudden Death Due to Violence, Suicide Loss, and/or Overdose

Sudden and violent loss profiles: traumatic activation, anger, moral pain, system stressors
Suicide and overdose bereavement: responsibility narratives, secrecy, shame, stigma
Interventions and strategies for coping with shame and stigma
Trauma-informed care considerations and clinical boundaries

8. Survivor’s Guilt Through a Neuropsychological Perspective with Clinical Application

Understanding survivor’s guilt: context and manifestations
- Neuropsychological perspective on survivor’s guilt
Clinical techniques for addressing survivor’s guilt
Cognitive and somatic interventions for softening the guilt loop
Navigating regret and resentment to find forgiveness
Foster post-traumatic growth after suicide loss and overdose

9. Treating Yearning in Prolonged Grief Disorder

The inception and maintenance of yearning
Trauma-informed interventions for treating yearning in prolonged grief disorder
Limitations of the research, clinical considerations, and risk factors

10. Disenfranchised Grief in Death and Non-Death Losses

Psychological and emotional impact of disenfranchised grief
Disenfranchised grief and death vs. non-death losses
What stays the same in intervention, and what must shift

11. Secondary Grief and Exploring the Ripple Effects of Loss

Exploring the ripple effects: the concept of secondary loss
Identifying and therapeutic interventions for secondary losses in therapy and at-home
Navigating anger and resentment
Daily recovery practices for navigating the pain of secondary losses

12. Navigating Ambiguous Loss with Neuroplasticity

The types of ambiguous loss
The impact of ambiguous loss on family systems
Specialized neuroscience-based interventions for the treatment of ambiguous grief

13. Special Considerations Working with the Terminally Ill and Their Families

Psychological care and interventions for end-of-life care for clients and families
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross and the stages of grief
Managing clinician vulnerability in end-of-life settings

14. Grief and Loss Groups: Structure, Safety, and Clinical Application

Grief and loss groups: when groups help, when they harm, and how to decide
Group structure that protects the nervous system
Ethical principles and boundaries in group grief work

15. Thriving After Loss: Post-traumatic Growth, Resilience, and Recovery

Beyond survival: defining and facilitating post-traumatic growth
Empowerment in grief: tools for building strength and resilience

16. Self-Care for the Grief Professional

Introduction to vicarious trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue
Generational trauma and cumulative exposure: why some grief cases hit harder than others, and what to do about it clinically and personally
Consultation thresholds: when the clinician’s nervous system becomes part of the clinical risk picture

Elevate your career with a new certification, and walk away from this training with CAGCS as a new credential!

Certification Made Simple

It's never been easier to become a Certified Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist? (CAGCS):

Step 1: Attend this retreat.
Step 2: Complete the CE test.
Step 3: Submit your application to Evergreen Certifications & we’ll cover the cost of your certification fee (a $249.99 value!)*

That's it! No hidden fees, no catch. Just certification made EASY.

*Professional and clinical standards apply.
Click Here to Learn More About CAGCS Certification

We partner with Evergreen Certifications to include certification with some of our products. When you purchase such a product, we may disclose your information to Evergreen Certifications for purposes of providing services directly to you or to contact you regarding relevant offers.

Dr. Kate Truitt, PhD, MA, MBA is a clinical psychologist, applied neuroscientist, and international educator whose work sits where rigorous research meets real nervous systems—especially the ones shaped by trauma, chronic stress, grief, and long seasons of survival. For more than two decades, she has focused on translating complex brain and body science into ethically grounded, evidence-based strategies that clinicians and helping professionals can actually use in the room.

She is the creator of the NeuroTriad Model and Brain Partnership, integrative frameworks that draw from affective neuroscience, psychophysiology, interoception, and experience-dependent neuroplasticity. Her work examines how threat exposure reshapes circuits involved in detection, regulation, executive function, and relational safety—and, just as importantly, how those systems can reorganize through repeated, targeted experiences that rebuild agency and capacity over time.

Dr. Truitt founded the Truitt Institute to shorten the distance between neuroscience and care. She leads the award-winning clinical team at Dr. Kate Truitt & Associates to deliver trauma-informed treatment that is both compassionate and precise. Through her leadership of the Amy Research Foundation and the Trauma Counseling Center of Los Angeles, she advances research, training, and accessible support for trauma-exposed communities. She is the international bestselling author of Healing in Your Hands and her memoir, Keep Breathing. Her latest bestseller, The Brain Partnership Toolbox for Addiction, Mental Health, and Trauma Treatment Professionals, offers a practical, science-rooted guide for those working inside high-demand healthcare systems where care can quietly start to feel like survival.

Click here for information about Kate Truitt

Airport shuttle is NOT included in your package price.

Please arrange for this directly with Blue Spirit.

Blue Spirit offers airport pick-up services for guests at Liberia International Airport (LIR), aligning with most major U.S. flight arrivals.”

Upon arrival, there will be a person to greet you and guide you to your shuttle. He will have a Blue Spirit sign. When you arrive you should allow 30 – 60 minutes to go through immigration, customs and baggage claim.

Once you have retrieved your luggage and passed customs, your shuttle organizer will be waiting outside the only terminal exit at LIR. The organizer will be wearing a Blue Spirit T-shirt and will greet you with a sign that says BLUE SPIRIT.

The shuttle will depart when it is full, and all the arriving guests are in the shuttle – we don’t leave anyone behind – so you may need to wait a few minutes until everyone is in the shuttle.

The ride from Liberia Airport (LIR) to Blue Spirit is approximately 3 hours.

You can find additional shuttle information HERE.

US Citizens must present a passport with a validity of at least 6 months past your return date of June 27, 2026 to enter Costa Rica. If you do not have a current passport or your passport will be expiring prior to December 27, 2026, we suggest applying as soon as possible as processing times are taking up to 3 months occasionally. Costa Rica requires you to carry your passport with you at all times. Some individuals prefer to make a copy to carry and leave their original passport in the safety box at Blue Spirit.

If you have a passport other than a U.S. Passport, it is your responsibility to verify what documentation you need to enter Costa Rica. If you fail to bring your required documentation, you may be denied boarding your plane or denied entry to Costa Rica.

Is there a sundries or souvenir shop nearby?

Whether you forgot your sunscreen at home or wish to treat yourself or friends at home with a little gift from Costa Rica: the Blue Spirit Store offers women’s and men’s apparel, spiritual books, gift items and snack foods, as well as personal and sundry items. All purchases can be paid with a credit card or cash.

Does Blue Spirit accommodate special dietary requests?

Upon request, Blue Spirit will do its best to provide for special meal needs and food allergies. They require that these requests be communicated at least 2 weeks in advance. Please communicate your request to PESI. Please keep in mind that a huge variety of alternative food options are not as easily available in Costa Rica compared to the US.

Blue Spirit offers a Pure Food Option as an additional way of satisfying special meal needs. This option is a part of their daily lunch and dinner buffets and offers greens, grains, and legumes (beans) without oils or seasoning.

Does Blue Spirit have food options available outside of the dining hall hours?

There is an on-site café open daily (hours vary). The café offers fresh juices, smoothies, freshly baked goods, raw food snacks, coffee specialties, and locally brewed kombucha. In the evening, organic wines and artisanal beers are available.

Food and beverages purchased at the café are not included in the cost of the program. All purchases will be charged individually and can be paid with cash or charged directly to your room.

Is the water at Blue Spirit drinkable?

All the water at Blue Spirit is filtered and safe to drink. We suggest you bring your travel water bottle to reduce single-use plastic during your retreat.

Does Blue Spirit have a spa?

Blue Spirit Costa Rica has a world class spa on site. Services such as massages, bodywork, astrology, and more are available.

Blue Spirit also offers treatments at the Nosara Longevity Center. The center offers a variety of health protocols and treatments to restore and maintain your state of optimal wellbeing and enhanced vitality.

Spa and longevity services can be booked at the front desk once you arrive at the retreat center. Payment can be made in cash or charged to your room when the services are scheduled. Charges for services are not included in the cost of the program and are the responsibility of the individual.

Are there things to do outside of the educational seminar?

Blue Spirit Costa Rica’s magnificent property and idyllic location present a multitude of options for rest, relaxation, exploration, and adventure.

Saltwater infinity pool
Jungle walking paths
Direct beach access
Spa & Longevity Center
Café & Store
Excursions & Activities

What credit is offered on this retreat?

You can earn up to 22 CE hours. Credit hours may vary by board and profession. Please review the retreat’s credit information by clicking any of the “Click here for CE credit details” links found above, or by clicking here.

PLEASE NOTE: Most licensing boards require full attendance to the entire program to receive any credit.

Please review the retreat’s schedule above and plan your travel accordingly to ensure full attendance to the program.

Can I bring a colleague, friend, or partner?

Prices listed in the Program Pricing and Accommodations section above are per person and based on single/private occupancy. If you are interested in rooming with a colleague/friend/partner, please contact us HERE or by calling 800-844-8260 (Ask for our Retreats Team) for double occupancy rates.

PESI will not partake in or be responsible for roommate matching.

Please Note: Blue Spirit Costa Rica is an all-inclusive retreat center. All reservations are per individual, not per room. All individuals staying at the retreat center incur a room and board charge whether or not they are participating in the PESI educational training.

IMPORTANT: Online registration will only allow you to register a single individual. If interested in registering a colleague/friend/partner, please register yourself through the online registration process via this website FIRST in order to secure your room. NEXT, contact us HERE or by calling 800-844-8260 (Ask for our Retreats Team). A PESI customer service representative will assist in registering your guest. Securing your room first will reserve your room and provide you time to reach out to PESI without fear of rooms being no longer available.

What if I have mobility concerns?

Blue Spirit Costa Rica is located on top of a little hill overlooking the ocean. The beach can be reached via private access by walking down a pebbly road. The access to some of our rooms and classrooms is down the hill from the Main Building and/or via a stone stairway. Please pay close attention to the mobility notes in the Program Pricing and Accommodations section. Each room type has its own specific mobility note as the accommodation options are located in various areas throughout the property.

If you have any mobility issues, please contact both PESI AND Blue Spirit ahead of time via the following:

Please e-mail PESI at retreatinfo@pesi.com or call 800-844-8260 (Ask for our Retreats Team)

Please e-mail Blue Spirit at info@bluespiritcostarica.com

Treating Grief and Traumatic Loss Retreat: Immersive Certification Training for Healing Professionals

Treating Grief and Traumatic Loss Retreat: Immersive Certification Training for Healing Professionals

Retreat Schedule

Saturday, June 20, 2026

Sunday, June 21, 2026

Monday, June 22, 2026

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Friday, June 26, 2026

Saturday, June 27, 2026

Who Should Attend?

Your Retreat Center

Gourmet Vegetarian Cuisine

Saltwater Infinity Pool

Spa & Longevity Center*

Guiones Beach

Nature

Extra Activities/Excursions*

Blue Spirit Cafe and Store*

Convenient Travel and Location

Treating Grief and Traumatic Loss Retreat: Immersive Certification Training for Healing Professionals

Program Pricing and Accommodations

Superior Ocean View Room w/AC - SOLD OUT

$5,200

Ocean View Room w/AC - SOLD OUT

$4,900

Garden Suite w/AC

$4,700

Pacifico Cottage w/AC - SOLD OUT

$4,650

Nature Suite w/AC

$4,600

Hermitage w/AC(Queen & Twin variants available) - QUEEN VARIANT SOLD OUT

$4,300

Eco Cottage

$3,630

Platform Tent - SOLD OUT

$3,330

Cancellation Policy

Retreat Content

Treating Grief and Traumatic Loss Retreat: Immersive Certification Training for Healing Professionals

Are you ready to step into the life awaiting you as aCertified Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist?

Meet Your Lead Retreat Instructor

Travel/FAQs

Air Arrangements

Shuttle Information

Passport Information

Health & Safety Information

Treating Grief and Traumatic Loss Retreat: Immersive Certification Training for Healing Professionals

Treating Grief and Traumatic Loss Retreat: Immersive Certification Training for Healing Professionals

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Hermitage w/AC
(Queen & Twin variants available) -
QUEEN VARIANT SOLD OUT

Are you ready to step into the life awaiting you as a
Certified Advanced Grief Counseling Specialist?