Grief & Loss Counseling Flashcards
7 cards from real ACC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Grief & Loss Counseling flashcards as text
A bereaved person frequently visits the cemetery and talks to the headstone daily, six months after the loss. From a continuing bonds perspective, this behavior is best understood as:
Answer: A potentially healthy expression of ongoing connection with the deceased
Continuing bonds theory (Klass, Silverman, Nickman) holds that maintaining symbolic or spiritual connections with the deceased is often adaptive and culturally meaningful.
When a chaplain encounters a grieving person who holds beliefs very different from the chaplain's own, the ethical priority is to:
Answer: Subordinate personal beliefs and provide care centered on the grieving person's worldview
Professional chaplaincy ethics require that care be centered on the care receiver's own spiritual and religious framework, not the chaplain's personal beliefs.
An elderly woman whose husband of 60 years has died expresses feeling that her own identity has disappeared. This phenomenon is best described as:
Answer: Loss of assumptive world and relational identity
Long-term relationships often involve deeply intertwined identities; loss can disrupt one's sense of self and assumptive world, a recognized aspect of grief, not a mental disorder.
Which of the following is NOT typically associated with traumatic grief?
Answer: Gradual anticipatory adjustment to the death
Traumatic grief is typically precipitated by sudden, unexpected, or violent deaths; anticipated losses allow time for preparation, which reduces traumatic impact.
A chaplain is supporting a family whose loved one died in the ICU without the family present. The family expresses deep regret about not being there. The chaplain's most helpful response is to:
Answer: Validate their regret and gently explore what they wish they had been able to do or say
Validating regret and exploring unfinished relational business honors the family's grief while opening space for meaning-making and potential resolution.
In grief support, the concept of 'post-traumatic growth' most directly refers to:
Answer: Positive psychological change that can emerge from the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances
Post-traumatic growth (Tedeschi & Calhoun) describes positive transformation—such as new perspectives, relationships, or spiritual depth—that can emerge from profound suffering.
A chaplain working with a grieving person who has strong faith notices them saying 'I shouldn't feel angry at God — that's a sin.' The chaplain's best response is to:
Answer: Affirm that many people of faith experience anger at God, and this can be part of an honest spiritual journey
Normalizing spiritual anger as a valid expression within many faith traditions reduces shame and opens space for authentic spiritual processing of the loss.