ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates common complications that arise in therapeutic work with grieving clients, including their nonacceptance, guilt, shame, isolation, problematic social supports, depression, the urge to suicide and countertransference. It also illustrates how the principles of internal family systems (IFS) therapy apply to classify whether a case is simple or complicated for either the client or clinician. Therapist parts can be challenged when clients share experiences that are outside of the cultural or personal framework, including beliefs about afterlife. The imperative in grief work is to acknowledge and welcome a variety of cultural and spiritual beliefs about death. Grieving typically starts with the shock, disbelief and numbness of first responders. The capacity to both embrace and facilitate self-led grief "bolsters a lifelong practice of learning to trust Self-leadership" and affords the opportunity to welcome new connections fully aware of the possibility that one may lose them and secure in knowledge that the self will attend to the grieving parts.
