ABSTRACT
This chapter encourages action steps for couples experiencing fetal loss that enhance communication, facilitate the grieving process, and help them move forward. Fetal loss, whether by miscarriage, elective termination, or stillbirth, can be a devastating emotional experience with ripple effects on couple and family development. Fetal loss creates a crisis, in part, because it is out of synchronization with the normal life cycle and developmental expectations of a young couple. It is important to recognize that although homework tasks generally are helpful in therapy, not all couples readily do them. Having a variety of communication, activity, and ritual tasks allows for some sequencing, as well as preferred options by the couple. In communication tasks, respecting some of the couple's interprotective, complementary mechanisms means that they do not have to share everything or be on the same page in emotional styles, but also recognizes that some kind of connection and shared grieving is generally helpful.
