BMS Grief and Bereavement Counseling 4 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: A funeral arranger notices that a bereaved client is minimizing emotions, staying very busy with logistics, and denying any sadness. According to the Dual Process Model, this client is primarily using:
- Loss orientation coping
- Restoration orientation coping (Correct answer)
- Avoidant grief processing
- Complicated grief defense mechanisms
Correct answer: Restoration orientation coping
Focusing on practical tasks and secondary stressors while minimizing emotional processing reflects restoration orientation, which is a normal and adaptive oscillation in the Dual Process Model.
Question 2: Which statement best describes the difference between grief, mourning, and bereavement?
- All three terms are synonymous and interchangeable in clinical settings
- Bereavement is the state of loss; grief is the internal response; mourning is the outward expression (Correct answer)
- Mourning refers only to religious rituals surrounding death
- Grief is the state of loss while bereavement is the emotional response
Correct answer: Bereavement is the state of loss; grief is the internal response; mourning is the outward expression
Bereavement refers to the objective state of having lost someone; grief is the internal emotional and psychological response; mourning is the outward, social expression of grief shaped by culture.
Question 3: When should a funeral professional make a referral to a licensed mental health professional for a bereaved client?
- When the client cries intensely during arrangements
- When the client expresses suicidal ideation or inability to function (Correct answer)
- When the client asks questions about the cause of death
- When the client requests a closed casket
Correct answer: When the client expresses suicidal ideation or inability to function
Suicidal ideation or severe functional impairment (inability to care for oneself or dependents) are clear indicators for immediate mental health referral beyond the funeral professional's scope.
Question 4: A Hispanic family requests that their deceased mother remain at home for a one-night 'velorio' (wake) before going to the funeral home. The funeral director should:
- Decline, citing health regulations that require immediate removal
- Work with the family and health department to accommodate this cultural practice when legally permissible (Correct answer)
- Insist the family come to the funeral home to view the deceased instead
- Charge an extra fee to discourage this non-standard request
Correct answer: Work with the family and health department to accommodate this cultural practice when legally permissible
Culturally competent funeral practice involves working within legal frameworks to accommodate culturally meaningful death rituals rather than automatically denying such requests.
Question 5: The term 'anticipatory grief' refers to grief that is experienced:
- In the days immediately following an unexpected death
- Before an expected death, during a terminal illness (Correct answer)
- Years after a loss when grief resurfaces unexpectedly
- In response to imagining the death of a healthy loved one
Correct answer: Before an expected death, during a terminal illness
Anticipatory grief occurs during the terminal illness phase as family members begin grieving the impending loss before the actual death occurs.
Question 6: A bereaved parent states, 'I know everyone grieves differently, but it's been a year and my husband is already back to normalāI feel like something is wrong with me.' The most appropriate response is:
- 'You may be right; it might be worth seeing a therapist.'
- 'There is no timeline for grief, and your experience is validāpeople grieve differently.' (Correct answer)
- 'Your husband is coping better because men tend to move on more quickly.'
- 'One year is generally considered sufficient time to process a child's death.'
Correct answer: 'There is no timeline for grief, and your experience is validāpeople grieve differently.'
Validating the bereaved person's experience and correcting the misconception that grief should follow a universal timeline is a foundational grief support skill.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of an 'instrumental griever' as described in grief research?
- A widow who weeps openly at the funeral and joins a support group
- A bereaved son who channels his grief into building a memorial garden (Correct answer)
- A daughter who experiences intense waves of sadness for months
- A spouse who seeks grief therapy immediately after the death
Correct answer: A bereaved son who channels his grief into building a memorial garden
Instrumental grievers (Martin & Doka) tend to experience grief cognitively and behaviorally, preferring problem-solving and activity over emotional expression.
BMS Grief and Bereavement Counseling 4
A funeral arranger notices that a bereaved client is minimizing emotions, staying very busy with logistics, and denying any sadness.
According to the Dual Process Model, this client is primarily using: