Grief and Loss

The goal of grief counseling and group activity is to guide the group members through accepting the reality of the loss and dealing with deep thoughts and feelings about the loss. To understand loss, one must first understand the concept of psychological attachment, which is the condition that makes loss possible. A theoretical viewpoint that informs the use of an intense discussion and opportunity to ventilate feelings surrounding bereavement is known as Attachment Theory, developed by British psychologist John Bowlby. The experienced grief counselor will always address anger, depressed mood, or suicidal ideation in some manner, if only to broach the subject to group members who perhaps are not forthcoming with those feelings. A word about conducting group exercises and activities for the resolution of grief and loss: the group leader should really approach grief and loss with a clear and targeted rationale for each intervention.