Types of Grief and Their Implications for Treatment/Intervention
- Acute, Normal, and Complicated Grief
- Disenfranchised Grief (e.g., loss of a pet, non-familial relationships)
- Anticipatory Grief and Palliative Care Contexts
- Cumulative and Secondary Losses
- Ambiguous Loss (Physical presence/psychological absence, or vice-versa)
- Treatment implications for Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD)
- Grief Counseling vs. Grief Therapy
Intake Assessment of Grieving Clients
- Detailed Loss History and Quality of Relationship to the Deceased
- Client’s Current Functioning (work, social, self-care, sleep)
- Cultural and Spiritual Beliefs about Death and Mourning
- Grief Manifestations (Emotional physical, cognitive, and behavioral)
- Client’s Readiness for Grief work and Capacity for Emotional Processing
- Screening Tools for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) vs. Normal Grief
- Comprehensive Suicide Risk Assessment (Ideation, plan, means, intent)
Interventions and Strategies for Grief Therapy or Counseling
- Psychoeducation on the Grief Process and Models (e.g., Task, phases)
- Continuing Bonds Framework and Memorialization/Ritual Work
- Narrative Therapy Techniques (Re-storying the relationship)
- Emotional Regulation and Distress Tolerance Skills
- Research, Risks and Limitations
Regret, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation
- Addressing Unfinished Business, Guilt, and Self-Blame
- Self-Forgiveness and Forgiveness of the Deceased/Others
- Reconciling the Loss
- The Role of Idealization and Realism about the Deceased
- Empty Chair and Letter Writing Techniques for Emotional Expression
- Research, Risks and Limitations
The Process of Death, Dying, and Mourning
- Review of Basic Theoretical Frameworks for Grievers
- The Trajectories of Sudden vs. Expected Death
- The Psychological Function of Funeral and Commemorative Rituals
- Navigating Anniversaries, Holidays, and other Triggering Events
- Understanding and Addressing Physical/Somatic Symptoms of Acute Grief
Special Considerations for Grief and Loss Across All Developmental and Life Stages
- Grief in Childhood (Developmental concepts of death)
- Adolescent and Young Adult Grief (Impact on identity formation)
- Parental Loss and Widowhood in Mid-to-Late Adulthood
- Grief in Older Adults and Late-Life Multiple Losses
- Losses specific to Life Stages (e.g., job, health, fertility, divorce)
- Multicultural and Spirituality Considerations
- Ethical Considerations and Self-Care for the Grief Professional


