Grief Counseling Research Articles

Initial Validation and Measurement Invariance of the Active Inhibition Scale Among Traumatized and Grieving Youth.

The Active Inhibition Scale (AIS; Ayers, Sandler, & Twohey, 1998) is an 11-item, self-report measure of emotional suppression among children and adolescents. Previous research with the AIS has linked emotional suppression to several clinically significant outcomes, such as posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and suicide, among trauma-exposed and bereaved youth; however, there are no published evaluations of its psychometric properties. We examined the factor structure and criterion validity of the AIS in two samples. Sample 1 included youth (M = 12.22 years, SD = 2.96, range: 6-18 years; 55.4% female) referred to an outpatient psychology clinic specializing in childhood trauma and grief. Sample 2 included youth (M = 13.18 years, SD = 2.58, range: 8-18 years; 61.8% female) referred to a community grief counseling center. Confirmatory factor analytic results supported a one-factor solution, Cronbach's α = .94. Additionally, AIS scores correlated positively with PTSS, depression, and maladaptive grief, rs = .43-.64. Evidence of factorial invariance was found across gender, race/ethnicity, and age group. Emotional suppression scores were higher among girls compared to boys, Black and Hispanic youth compared to White youth, and older compared to younger age groups. The magnitude of correlations between AIS and symptom measure scores was comparable across groups. These results support the reliability and criterion validity of the AIS with diverse youth populations and underscore the role that emotional suppression may play in explaining group differences in mental health symptoms.

CRISIS, DISASTER, AND TRAUMA COUNSELING: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE COUNSELING PROFESSION

Crisis, disaster, and trauma are inevitable truths of our life, preventable but sometimes completely avoidable, as they occur with or without any early signs. The psychological trauma in the aftermath can be devastating for individuals who have directly and or indirectly experienced the incident. As professional counselors, we will all encounter a client in crisis or trauma at some point in our careers. For this reason, counselors must possess a basic knowledge of crisis theory and intervention and must be able to recognize and assess for symptoms of trauma. This paper provides an overview of crisis, disaster, and trauma counseling and how each has emerged as a counseling specialty in the last 25 years. Crises and disasters are defined for the reader, and the DSM-5 definition of trauma and PTSD is provided. A brief history of the specialties is reviewed, followed by efforts of leadership organizations in the counseling field to increase training opportunities in crisis and trauma counseling. An overview of Psychological First Aid (PFA) is provided, and assessment practices for crisis and trauma counseling are reviewed. The paper concludes with a discussion on vicarious traumatization and counselor self-care.

Impact of COVID-19 on loss and grief: a personal lens.

British Journal of Community NursingVol. 25, No. 6 CommentImpact of COVID-19 on loss and grief: a personal lensBrian NyatangaBrian NyatangaE-mail Address: [email protected]Senior Lecturer, Three Counties School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of WorcesterSearch for more papers by this authorBrian NyatangaPublished Online:4 Jun 2020https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2020.25.6.306AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article References British Broadcasting Corporation. Coronavirus: Islamophobia concerns after India mosque outbreak. 3 April 2020. 2020a. https://tinyurl.com/yaaj7lsu (accessed 28 April 2020) Google ScholarBritish Broadcasting Corporation. Coronavirus: Boris Johnson says ‘it could have gone either way’. 12 April 2020. 2020b. https://tinyurl.com/vl4so3f (accessed 28 April 2020) Google ScholarFreud S. Mourning and melancholia. The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud, volume XIV (1914–1916): on the history of the psycho-analytic movement, papers on metapsychology and other works. London: The Hogarth Press; 1917:237–258 Google ScholarKessler D. Finding meaning: a sixth stage of grief. New York (NY): Scribner; 2019 Google ScholarMurray-Parkes C. Bereavement studies of grief in adult life. 4th edn. London: Penguin Books; 2010 Google ScholarWorden JW. Grief Counseling and grief therapy: a handbook for the mental health practitioner. 5th revised edn. New York (NY): Springer Publishing Co; 2018 Crossref, Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 June 2020Volume 25Issue 6ISSN (print): 1462-4753ISSN (online): 2052-2215 Metrics History Published online 4 June 2020 Published in print 2 June 2020 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

Recommendations for the support of suffering, severely ill, dying or grieving persons in the corona pandemic from apalliative care perspective : Recommendations of the German Society for Palliative Medicine (DGP), the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive and Emergency Medicine (DIVI), the Federal Association for Grief Counseling (BVT), the Working Group for Psycho-oncology in the German Cancer Society, the German Association

Die mit der Corona-Pandemie einhergehenden Einschränkungen und Verbote sorgen für psychische, soziale und spirituelle Belastungen bei Patient*innen mit COVID-19, ihren Zugehörigen und den behandelnden Mitarbeitenden im Gesundheitswesen. Patient*innen mit COVID-19 dürfen nicht von ihren Zugehörigen besucht werden, in vielen Krankenhäusern und Pflegeeinrichtungen gelten generelle Besuchsverbote. Viele Unterstützungsangebote sind verringert oder ganz eingestellt worden. Bei anderen Patient*innen mit sehr kritischen und/oder lebenslimitierenden Erkrankungen werden notwendige Behandlungsmaßnahmen aufgeschoben, weil die Ressourcen im Krankenhaus für an COVID-19 Erkrankte freigehalten werden. Diese Menschen bedürfen jedoch des Gefühls der sozialen Verbundenheit mit ihren Zugehörigen. Für Palliativpatienten sollten Ausnahmen von Besuchsverboten ermöglicht werden. Besuche bei Sterbenden sind mit entsprechenden Schutzmaßnahmen auch auf Isolier- oder Intensivstationen möglich. Für isolierte Patient*innen sollten alternative Möglichkeiten überprüft werden, zum Beispiel via Videotelefonie oder über soziale Medien. Nach dem Versterben sollte den Angehörigen unter ausreichenden Schutzmaßnahmen ein Abschiednehmen ermöglicht oder alternative reale oder virtuelle Wege zum Erinnern und Gedenken angeboten werden. Die Mitarbeitenden in den Behandlungsteams sollten kontinuierlich in der Bewältigung der besonderen Belastungen unterstützt werden. Dazu ist neben klaren Kommunikations- und Entscheidungsstrukturen, Kommunikationsschulungen und psychosozialer Unterstützung vor allem die Bereitstellung der bestmöglichen Rahmenbedingungen für die Arbeit erforderlich.

INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE OF PALLIATIVE CARE PROVISION

The legal aspects of palliative care in the Russian Federation and abroad have been analyzed. Palliative care has been legally defined. As a result, it has been discovered that palliative care is gaining momentum and there is a legal framework for the management of such patients. However, a number of legal issues remain unsolved and require further examination. This is primarily attributed to staffing requirements for palliative care offices, stations, and centers, as well as to the creation of the profession of a palliative care doctor. The need to open specialized palliative care offices and hospices providing help to people living with terminal HIV has been justified. It has been discovered that the primary goal of palliative care is to create a sense of comfort. Palliative care seeks to ameliorate pain and other symptoms that cause suffering. It affirms the value of life but contributes to viewing death as an inevitable fact, while it does not strive to hasten it nor to postpone it. Palliative care entails psychological and moral support for the patient and is designed to help them continue being active as much as possible until the last moment. The goal of the support system for the patient’s relatives is to help them deal with the tragic situation, if needed – with the help of bereavement counseling.

Grief as a Catalyst for Psycho-Spiritual Transformation: A Hindu Perspective

The current report outlines how the experience of grief often creates conditions conducive for psycho-spiritual transformation. Theories and perspectives that explore the process of spiritual change and growth in a bereaved individual’s life have been explored, along with the manifestations of the resulting change. The utility and importance of integrating a psycho-spiritual aspect as a part of grief therapy from a Hindu perspective is explored. Addressing this psycho-spiritual aspect of grief becomes especially pertinent considering the cultural values and beliefs that form a part of our coping resources and are challenged in the face of confrontation with death.

Psychosocial deficits underpinning child headed households (CHHs) in Mabvuku and Tafara suburbs of Harare, Zimbabwe

Debates around the psycho-social deficits experienced by children in child headed households are necessary for the transformation of child welfare policies, philosophies and practices in Zimbabwe and beyond. This qualitative study used a case study design to explore the manifestations of the core psycho-social deficits associated with children domiciled in child headed households. The study was conceptualised around the following research question: What are the manifestations of psychosocial deficits among children living in child headed households of Mabvuku and Tafara suburbs of Harare, Zimbabwe? A total sample of fourteen participants including twelve children and two key informants were interviewed using pre-designed interview schedules. Findings revealed that psychosocial deficits among children from child headed households manifested through poor personal grooming, indecision and avoidance of challenging situations by the children; sexual violence and unplanned teenage pregnancy; familial and societal neglect, discrimination and isolation and vicarious bereavement. The study recommended moral regeneration, refinement and realignment of child welfare policies and practices; and an extension of grief counselling services to children in child headed households.

State of Clinical Social Work in South Africa

Clinical social work has a long tradition in South Africa, with the first formal training program starting in 1977. More recently, clinical social work has been legislatively recognized as a specialization within social work, and clinical social workers will soon begin to register with this specialization. This article presents the only review of clinical social work in South Africa. It maps the history of the field, its current definition, training opportunities and registration (licensing) procedures. Drawing on a national survey of clinical social workers, the article describes the range of theories and practice modalities employed by clinical social workers, foregrounding the use of grief counselling, cognitive behavioral therapy, crisis intervention and psychodynamic therapy, and a predominance of individual work. Three case examples of clinical practice are advanced, related to a range of contemporary issues, including grief, violence, gender identity, sex work, migration and clinical work in macro contexts. The authors conclude with a reflection on the challenges and future directions for clinical social work, emphasizing clinical practice within a developmental social welfare approach and the need to address decoloniality and indigenous practice in the African context.

Lessons Learned: Forty Years of Clinical Work With Suicide Loss Survivors.

The author has been a grief therapist in private practice for almost 40 years. The largest percentage of his clients have been suicide loss survivors, and in this article, the author reflects on the “lessons learned” about how grief therapy with survivors is both the same as, and very different from, work with clients bereaved after other types of losses. After briefly reviewing some of the empirical literature about differences between suicide bereavement and grief after other modes of death, the author argues that perhaps the most distinguishing and difficult aspect of a suicide loss is the “perceived intentionality” of the death, and the related “perceived responsibility” for the death. The author goes on to identify a number of tasks of psychological reintegration after a suicide loss that can serve as a template for treatment goals for clinicians and clients alike. These include the cultivation of a very specific type of secure and nurturing therapeutic alliance; extensive psychoeducation about suicide, trauma, and grief; the need to help the client repair the psychological continuing bond with the deceased; and providing gentle support for the survivor in rebuilding an assumptive world that has been shattered by the suicide of a loved one. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of the clinical implications of these differences for work with suicide loss survivors.

SOSYAL DEĞİŞİM KAMPANYALARINDA GELİŞME: GÜNDÜZ FARI KAMPANYASININ BUGÜNKÜ DURUMU ÜZERİNE BİR UYGULAMA

“Education”, like grief counseling, has become the üniversel panacea of public policy. Whatever “education” is, it’s not going to be easy. After all “education” is really a misnomer our aim is not to get people to know more things. We are trying to get people to change what they do. Changing people’s behavior has always been the most problematic enterprise in human affairs.

Resurrecting the Hospital Autopsy: Impact of an Office of Decedent Affairs on Consent Rates, Providers, and Next-of-Kin.

Autopsy rates have decreased dramatically despite providing important clinical information to medical practices and social benefits to decedents' families. To assess the impact of an institutional Office of Decedent Affairs (ODA), a direct communication link between pathology and decedents' families, on hospital autopsy consent rates, autopsy-related communication, practitioner views, and next-of-kin experiences. A before and after study involving all hospital decedents whose deaths did not fall within the jurisdiction of the medical examiner's office from 2013 to 2018. A pathology-run ODA launched in May 2016 to guide next-of-kin through the hospital death process (including autopsy-related decisions) and serve as the next-of-kin's contact for any subsequent autopsy-related communication. Critical care and hematology/oncology practitioners were assessed for their autopsy-related views and decedents' next-of-kin were assessed for their autopsy-related experiences. Autopsy consent rates for non-medical examiner hospital deaths, autopsy-related communication rates, practitioner views on the role and value of autopsy, and next-of-kin autopsy experiences and decisions factors were compared prior to and after ODA launch. Autopsy consent rates significantly increased from 13.2% to 17.3% (480 of 3647 deaths versus 544 of 3148 deaths; P < .001). There were significant increases in the rate of autopsy-related discussions and bereavement counseling provided to decedents' families. Practitioner views on the positive role of autopsy for any hospital death and those with advanced stage cancer also significantly increased. Next-of-kin indicated more consistent autopsy-related discussions with the potential benefits of autopsy discussed becoming key decision factors. An ODA improves hospital autopsy consent rates, autopsy-related communication, providers' autopsy-related views, and next-of-kins autopsy experiences.

The Ambiguity of Perinatal Loss: A Dual-Process Approach to Grief Counseling

Perinatal loss, or the death of a child shortly before or after birth, is an under-researched area of bereavement associated with high levels of complicated and disenfranchised grief. The authors explore how a dual process model of coping with bereavement can provide a unique conceptual framework for understanding counseling processes with parents experiencing perinatal loss. A brief overview of perinatal loss is provided to contextualize the presenting issue. Concepts and clinical practices are then examined in detail related to death competence, empathic validation, autonomy support, complicated grief, disenfranchised grief, and variations in gender role expectations when coping with bereavement. Finally, a clinical case study on perinatal loss is used to conceptualize a dual-process-based approach to couples work in practice, and a prospective research study is outlined.

Palliative Care and Grief Counseling in Peri- and Neonatology: Recommendations From the German PaluTiN Group.

Palliative Care and Grief Counseling in Peri- and Neonatology: Recommendations From the German PaluTiN Group.

Cancer-related communication during sessions of family therapy at the end of life.

A goal of family-focused therapies in oncology is to help families communicate effectively about illness and its management. Yet there has been no examination of whether and how conjoint sessions are conducive to this process. In this study, we (a) described the extent of cancer-specific communication during family sessions at the end of life; (b) identified characteristics associated with SC; and (c) determined the association between SC and longer-term family bereavement outcomes. Data were collected as part of a randomized controlled trial of Family Focused Grief Therapy (FFGT) for advanced cancer patients and their families. Demographics, depressive symptoms, and family functioning were assessed at baseline. Cancer-specific communication, perceived responsiveness to communication, and therapeutic alliances were reported after each session. At 13-month bereavement, surviving families were assessed for symptoms of depression and prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Participants were 257 advanced cancer patients and family members receiving FFGT at the end of life. On average, participants perceived significantly more cancer-related communication in session (SC) than at baseline. Both therapist-family and within-family alliances were associated with SC, especially for those with more severe depressive symptoms at baseline. Long-term outcomes were moderated by perceived responsiveness to in-session communication: for those who perceived high responsiveness, SC was associated with fewer depressive and PGD symptoms in bereavement. Conjoint family sessions can effectively increase communication about cancer at the end of life. Clinicians should consider key contextual factors in their effort to facilitate this process: perceived responsiveness, family role, alliances with therapist, and within-family.

Grief memoirs: The familiarity of helping professionals with the genre and its potential incorporation into grief therapy

The grief memoir is a fast-developing genre that in recent decades has become a popular form of public mourning and self-therapy in many Western cultures, especially in the United States and Great Britain. We surveyed 76 helping professionals to assess if the grief memoir is a genre with which they are familiar and whether they employ such narratives as an adjunct in their work with the bereaved. Most bibliotherapeutic studies focus either on self-help or affective literature. This study is unique in evaluating a life writing genre which promises to combine the therapeutic benefits of both.

Experiences of Caregivers in a Home-Based Palliative Care Model - A Qualitative Study.

Background:Family caregivers are of vital support to patients receiving home-based palliative care.Aims and Objectives:This study sought to identify and comprehend the challenges that caregivers face while taking care of a terminally ill patient in a home-based palliative care setting and the mechanisms that facilitated their coping.Materials and Methods:A qualitative approach was employed to understand the perceptions of primary caregivers through 3 focus group discussions and 4 in-depth interviews, across 3 socioeconomic categories and 3 geographic zones of Mumbai.Results:Caregivers expressed that they wished they had been introduced to palliative care earlier. Being trained on minor clinical procedures and managing symptoms, and receiving emotional support through counselling were found beneficial. Caregivers did not perceive the need for self-care as the period of active caregiving was often short. Bereavement counselling was felt to be of much help.Conclusion:The study helped understand the caregivers' perceptions about the factors that would help them in patient as well as self-care. Recommendations for designing interventions for future caregivers and recipients were also made.

Reconnect —A Case Report of a Counseling Case of Grief Counseling

Grief counseling; Case report; Verbatim Transcription

Living through Loss: Questions and Answers about Grief and Bereavement

The field of grief therapy is rapidly evolving, as new theories, models and research findings inspire new understandings of loss and how people accommodate it. This article summarizes some of these contemporary developments, emphasizing the search for meaning in bereavement, and illustrates how these fresh perspectives can offer guidance to real people seeking consultation on how to manage very real losses under complicating circumstances. Nurses occupy many roles that bring them into contact with death and grief, leaving them well positioned to extend knowledgeable and compassionate care for patients and families facing such existential transitions

Treating Complicated Grief among Orphaned Children in Kenya: Effectiveness of Complicated Grief Therapy

Complicated Grief (CG) also referred to as complicated bereavement is a clinically significant condition even though there is limited evidence on its prevalence and treatment in Kenya and Africa in general. The main aim of this 2019 study was to test the efficacy of a modified Complicated Grief Therapy (CGT) in treating complicated grief (CG) among orphaned children. A total of 426 orphaned children aged 10 - 15 years were screened using the Brief Grief Questionnaire to sample those with elevated grief scores. Of the 263 who met the criteria, only 241 participants fully participated in the six months study with 123 and 118 participants in the treatment and the control groups respectively. The treatment group was subjected to a shortened version of the CGT (12 weeks) while no treatment was offered to the control group. The prevalence of grief among orphaned children was 66% and using the Inventory for Complicated Grief, to determine the clinical levels, a mean grief score of 31.6 (SD = 9.52) was recorded. The reduced version of CGT was effective in the reduction of complicated grief symptoms t(122) = -15.79, p at a weekly reduction of 1.29 points. In the case of the control group, the paired sample test showed a statistically insignificant reduction of CG score, t(117) = -0.712, p = 0.478. Conclusions: Reducing CGT sessions 12 sessions to make it shorter and less stringent and using it as group therapy in a school setup did not interfere with its effect on the treatment of complicated grief among orphaned children.

Condolence Culture as a Product of Social Capital and Grief Counseling as an Institutional Service: The Examples of Turkey and Germany

Bir sosyal sermaye birikimi olarak değerlendirilen taziye kültürü, Türk geleneğinde büyük önem arz etmektedir. Taziye kültürünün yas sürecindeki bireylerde psikolojik, sosyal ve manevi bakımdan teskin edici, yatıştırıcı ve iyileştirici bir etkisi olduğu bilinmektedir. Almanya’da taziye merasimleri, sınırlı sayıda aile mensubu ve yakın çevre tarafından icra edilmektedir. Ancak Almanya’da özellikle hastanelerde ve yaşlı bakım merkezlerinde terminal (tedavisi olmayan) hastalıklara yakalanmış hasta ve ailelerine yönelik profesyonel yas danışmanlığı hizmeti yaygındır. Ölüme refakat/destek hizmeti ve yas danışmanlığının gayesi, ölecek kişiye manevi bakım ve rehberlik sağlamak suretiyle ölümün fiziki ve psikolojik sıkıntılarını hafifletmektir. Almanya’daki bütün hastalar insan onuruna yaraşır ölüme refakat hizmetleri ve yas danışmanlığı alma hakkına sahiptir. Her ne kadar Türkiye’de yas danışmanlığı henüz mesleki/kurumsal şekliyle oluşmamış ise de sosyal sermayenin bir yansıması olarak taziye kültürü Türk toplumunun tabii canlılığını ve dayanışmasını korumaktadır. Netice itibariyle sosyal sermayenin etkisiyle, taziye kültürünün yaşamakta olduğu Türkiye’de, yas danışmanlığının kurumsal bir hizmete dönüşmesi gecikmektedir. Ancak modernleşen toplum ve kent hayatı, bu sosyal sermayenin sürdürülebilirliğini azaltmaktadır. Bu sebeple kurumsal bir hizmet olarak yas danışmanlığının uygulandığı Almanya örneği, Türkiye’ye örnek teşkil edebilmesi ve uygulamaya yeni açılımlar sağlayabilmesi amacıyla çalışmaya konu olmuştur.