Grief and Bereavement Counseling Flashcards

Which theorist introduced the concept of 'continuing bonds' as a healthy aspect of grief, challenging earlier views that detachment from the deceased is necessary?

Answer: Dennis Klass

Dennis Klass and colleagues challenged the detachment model by showing that maintaining an ongoing inner relationship with the deceased can be a healthy part of grief.

A widow reports feeling her late husband's presence in the room and briefly hearing his voice. The funeral director counseling her should:

Answer: Normalize this as a common grief experience called post-death contact

Post-death contact phenomena (sensing, hearing, or seeing the deceased) are common and generally considered a normal grief experience, not a psychiatric symptom.

In Stroebe and Schut's Dual Process Model, 'restoration orientation' refers to:

Answer: Attending to life changes and developing a new identity after loss

Restoration orientation involves attending to secondary stressors of bereavement such as taking on new roles, forming a new identity, and adjusting to life without the deceased.

Which factor most strongly predicts complicated grief (prolonged grief disorder) following bereavement?

Answer: A sudden or traumatic mode of death

Traumatic or sudden deaths (homicide, suicide, accidents) significantly elevate the risk of complicated grief due to the shock, trauma, and lack of anticipatory grieving.

The DSM-5-TR includes Prolonged Grief Disorder as a diagnosis. The required duration of grief symptoms before this diagnosis can be made is:

Answer: 12 months after bereavement

Prolonged Grief Disorder in DSM-5-TR requires that symptoms persist for at least 12 months after the death of a close person (6 months for children).

When a funeral director is supporting a bereaved family from a culture that practices loud, expressive wailing as part of mourning, the appropriate response is to:

Answer: Recognize this as a culturally normative grief expression and accommodate it

Grief expression is culturally shaped, and many cultures value expressive mourning; funeral professionals must respect diverse mourning practices without pathologizing them.

Which type of loss is considered a 'disenfranchised grief' because it is often not publicly acknowledged or socially supported?

Answer: Death of a pet that served as the primary companion

Pet loss is a classic example of disenfranchised grief—the depth of the loss is often minimized by society, leaving the bereaved without social permission to mourn openly.