Dearth of Death Competence in Counselor Education Programs

Abstract

Death and dying are universal events in the human experience. Contemplating one's own mortality in the context of counseling can facilitate growth in mental well-being, particularly serving to decrease death anxiety and live more in alignment with one's values. However, there is a dearth of death competence in the field of counselor education and supervision; most programs give little to no formal training on how to approach areas of grief and conversations around death and dying. The present article identifies gaps in the research surrounding death and dying, defines death competence, and provides suggestions for integrating death competence more thoroughly into counselor education programs to facilitate well-being among counselors and their clients.