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Essentials of Thanatology: Death, Dying and Bereavement
01 and 02 July 2027
The two-day interactive course gives an overview and summary of the field of thanatology.
It explores the social, cultural, psychological, legal, ethical, and spiritual issues raised by illness, dying, death and bereavement. It also explores the meaning of death and examines personal attitudes and fears to understand the grieving process and basic grief support throughout the life span.
All information is relevant to everyday life and most specifically to those practitioners providing death education, as well as those supporting the dying and bereaved.
The course will focus on applying theory and research to expand participants’ cognitive knowledge and practical skills to develop the emotional competence required for working with dying and bereaved individuals. It presents the essential topics and core knowledge for death-related counselling and death education using a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach:
- Death and loss in contemporary society
- The experience of dying
- End-of-life decision making
- Loss, grief and mourning
- Assessment and intervention
- Traumatic deaths
- Life and death education
- The future of thanatology
- Doctors, Registered Nurses, Advanced Practice Nurses, Enrolled Nurses, Allied Health Professionals, Psychosocial Staff, Senior Management, Support Care Staff
- Chaplains, Funeral Directors, Police and Emergency Medical Technicians
- Individuals who are working as volunteers or support staff working with critically ill, dying or bereaved individuals
Prof Andy Hau Yan HO, PhD, EdD, MFT, is Provost’s Chair Professor of Psychology, Professor of Psychology and Medicine at the School of Social Sciences and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, as well as Founding Director of the Action Research for Community Health (ARCH) Laboratory, at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore. He is also Deputy Director (Research) of PalC, President of the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA), Past President of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), and Fellow of the prestigious International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement (IWGDDB).
Course fees: SGD 535 per person (excluding GST)
- Doctors in Primary Care (Singapore Citizens) may apply for the Singapore Hospice Council Primary Care Palliative Champions (PC2) Training Award, subject to eligibility.
- This course is not eligible for SkillsFuture Credit.
Date: 01 and 02 July 2027
Time: 9.30am to 5.30pm
Venue: Dover Park Hospice, Level 3 Training Room TTSH Integrated Care Hub 1 Tan Tock Seng Link, Singapore 307382
For enquiries, please contact us at enquiries@palc.org.sg
Dates: 21 and 22 May 2026
Venue: Dover Park Hospice, Level 3 Training Room

