DOES GRIEF COUNSELING WORK?

Most bereavement caregivers accept as a truism that their interventions are helpful. However, an examination of the bereavement intervention literature suggests that the scientific basis for accepting the efficacy of grief counseling may be quite weak. This article summarizes the findings of four recent qualitative and quantitative reviews of the bereavement intervention literature. It then discusses three possible explanations for these surprising findings and concludes with recommendations for both researchers and clinicians in thanatology that could help to focus efforts to answer the questions of when and for whom grief counseling is helpful.

[1]  S. Mohamed,et al.  Research Design in Clinical Psychology, 3rd ed. , 1998 .

[2]  D. M. Lawson,et al.  The utility of empirically supported treatments. , 2003 .

[3]  L. Schmidt,et al.  Development and validation of the Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist. , 2001, Death studies.

[4]  Carol H. Ott.  THE IMPACT OF COMPLICATED GRIEF ON MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AT VARIOUS POINTS IN THE BEREAVEMENT PROCESS , 2003, Death studies.

[5]  Z. Solomon,et al.  PREDICTORS OF BEREAVED PARENTS' SATISFACTION WITH GROUP SUPPORT: AN ISRAELI PERSPECTIVE , 2003, Death studies.

[6]  S. Murphy,et al.  Broad-spectrum group treatment for parents bereaved by the violent deaths of their 12- to 28-year-old children: a randomized controlled trial. , 1998, Death studies.

[7]  R. Malkinson,et al.  Parental response to child loss across the life cycle: Clinical and research perspectives. , 2001 .

[8]  J. Jordan.  INTRODUCTION RESEARCH THAT MATTERS: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN THANATOLOGY , 2000, Death studies.

[9]  W. Stroebe,et al.  Handbook of bereavement research: Consequences, coping, and care , 2001 .

[10]  W. Stroebe,et al.  Introduction: Concepts and issues in contemporary research on bereavement. , 2001 .

[11]  B. Raphael,et al.  Psychotherapeutic and pharmacological intervention for bereaved persons , 2001 .

[12]  S. Jacobs,et al.  Traumatic grief as a distinct disorder: A rationale, consensus criteria, and a preliminary empirical test. , 2001 .

[13]  Lang Wu,et al.  BEREAVED PARENTS' OUTCOMES 4 TO 60 MONTHS AFTER THEIR CHILDREN'S DEATHS BY ACCIDENT, SUICIDE, OR HOMICIDE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY DEMONSTRATING DIFFERENCES , 2003, Death studies.

[14]  H. Schut,et al.  Intervention for the bereaved: gender differences in the efficacy of two counselling programmes. , 1997, The British journal of clinical psychology.

[15]  P. Lachenbruch.  Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed.) , 1989 .

[16]  M. Seligman,et al.  The effectiveness of psychotherapy. The Consumer Reports study. , 1995, The American psychologist.

[17]  Alan E. Kazdin,et al.  Research Design in Clinical Psychology , 2021 .

[18]  R. C. Silver,et al.  The myths of coping with loss revisited. , 2001 .

[19]  L. Castonguay,et al.  What is the scientific meaning of empirically supported therapy? , 1998, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[20]  Kenneth J. Doka,et al.  Men Don't Cry, Women Do: Transcending Gender Stereotypes of Grief , 1999 .

[21]  M. Meehan,et al.  Persuasion and Healing: A Comparative Study of Psychotherapy , 1973 .

[22]  R. Neimeyer.  Meaning reconstruction & the experience of loss. , 2001 .

[23]  P. Silverman.  RESEARCH, CLINICAL PRACTICE, AND THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE: PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER , 2000, Death studies.

[24]  SHIRLEY A. MURPHY,et al.  FINDING MEANING IN A CHILD'S VIOLENT DEATH: A FIVE-YEAR PROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF PARENTS' PERSONAL NARRATIVES AND EMPIRICAL DATA , 2003, Death studies.

[25]  R. Neimeyer,et al.  Mourning and Meaning , 2002 .

[26]  Alistair Munro,et al.  A Guide to Treatments That Work. , 2000 .

[27]  Farberow Nl.  The Los Angeles Survivors-After-Suicide program. An evaluation. , 1992 .

[28]  M. Borins.  Grief counseling. , 1995, Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien.

[29]  L. Beutler.  Empirically based decision making in clinical practice. , 2000 .

[30]  William T. Hoyt,et al.  Effectiveness of grief therapy: A meta-analysis. , 1999 .

[31]  D. Terry,et al.  Effects of a program of intervention on parental distress following infant death. , 2000, Death studies.

[32]  R. Neimeyer.  SEARCHING FOR THE MEANING OF MEANING: GRIEF THERAPY AND THE PROCESS OF RECONSTRUCTION , 2000, Death studies.

[33]  P. Kato,et al.  A synthesis of psychological interventions for the bereaved. , 1999, Clinical psychology review.

[34]  R. Neimeyer,et al.  Group Perceptions as Predictors of Outcome in the Treatment of Incest Survivors , 1991 .

[35]  Carol H. Ott,et al.  PATTERNS OF CHANGE IN MENTAL HEALTH STATUS DURING THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF SPOUSAL BEREAVEMENT , 2002, Death studies.

[36]  W. Stroebe,et al.  Risk factors in bereavement outcome: A methodological and empirical review. , 2001 .

[37]  Barbara C. Trolley,et al.  Positive outcomes of losing a loved one. , 2001 .

[38]  C. M. Parkes.  GRIEF: LESSONS FROM THE PAST,VISIONS FOR THE FUTURE , 2002, Death studies.

[39]  Tim S. Ayers,et al.  The family bereavement program: efficacy evaluation of a theory-based prevention program for parentally bereaved children and adolescents. , 2003, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[40]  I. Yalom,et al.  The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy , 1971, Mental Health.

[41]  M. Lumley,et al.  Aftercare Services from Funeral Directors to Bereaved Men: Surveys of Both Providers and Recipients , 2002 .

[42]  Richard Corney,et al.  Meaning reconstruction and the experience of loss. Edited by R.A. Neimeyer. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, 2001. 368pp, ISBN: 1557987424. , 2003 .

[43]  R. Neimeyer,et al.  Quantitative or qualitative? Measurement issues in the study of grief. , 2001 .

[44]  H. Schut,et al.  The efficacy of bereavement interventions: Determining who benefits. , 2001 .

[45]  D. R. Lehman,et al.  Long-term effects of losing a spouse or child in a motor vehicle crash. , 1987, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[46]  David H. Barlow,et al.  Persuasion and Healing: A Comparative Study of Psychotherapy, 3rd ed , 1994 .

[47]  Selby Jacobs, Holly Prigerson.  PSYCHOTHERAPY OF TRAUMATIC GRIEF: A REVIEW OF EVIDENCE FOR PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC TREATMENTS , 2000, Death studies.

[48]  R. C. Silver,et al.  The myths of coping with loss. , 1989, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[49]  Jacob Cohen.  Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences , 1969, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Research Design.

[50]  J. Jordan,et al.  THE GRIEF EVALUATION MEASURE (GEM): AN INITIAL VALIDATION STUDY , 2005, Death studies.