Bereavement Counseling

Bereavement (grief) counseling entails a specialized skill set that requires the practitioner to be fully present in accompanying the client or clients on their unique grief journey. Theories of the progress of normal, uncomplicated grief are abundant, and no one theory can fully describe the grief experience for all individuals. Bereavement counseling must attend to both the cognitive and psychological processes of the bereaved. Although individuals can experience grief for a myriad of different reasons including loss of a relationship, divorce, loss of a career, and so on, this entry will focus on counseling those who are experiencing loss due to the death of a significant person or persons. The construct of grieving is reviewed from a multicultural perspective, from the standpoint of significant theories, ...