Anticipatory grief: Some implications for social work practice in working with families facing impending loss

Abstract

This article compares and contrasts anticipatory grief with conventional grief using an authentic case study of a family facing the impending death of one of its members. Anticipatory grief is defined as the experience of grief that takes place before death. The role of the social worker is highlighted in relation to working with families who are facing loss and in particular, cultural and mental health issues are emphasised. The individual problems faced by the family members are discussed, as well as the dilemmas which challenge social workers working with grieving families. The implications for the future development of social work practice in relation to enabling social workers to acknowledge the complexity of anticipatory grief reactions in bereaved families are identified.