ABSTRACT
The ambiguous loss experienced by those left behind when a loved one is missing is outside the norm of expected or anticipated losses that occur in everyday life. For family members and friends, traditional understandings and models of grief that focus on resolution and closure do not apply. This chapter addresses the interventions used in supporting families who live with missing, and whose needs extend beyond the missing person’s investigation. With a combined experience of more than 20 years working directly with the families and friends of missing loved ones, the authors highlight the importance of naming “ambiguity as the real culprit” (Boss, 2009, p. 138). The ongoing challenges of living with ambiguity when social recognition, rituals, and answers may be denied are addressed using a family-focused perspective. Offering families choice and control over access to individual and group support assists in promoting resilience and hope, while sharing lived experiences, promoting connection and understanding, and making meaning become the way forward.
