Grief Counseling Techniques Flashcards

Doka's concept of disenfranchised grief refers to grief that is:

Answer: Not openly acknowledged, socially sanctioned, or publicly mourned

Disenfranchised grief occurs when a loss or griever is not recognized by society, such as an ex-spouse or a pet owner.

Pauline Boss recommends which counseling stance for families of a person missing in war?

Answer: Helping the family tolerate ambiguity and hold 'both/and' thinking

For ambiguous loss, Boss emphasizes building tolerance for ambiguity rather than forcing closure.

Which activity is most developmentally appropriate for helping a 6-year-old express grief?

Answer: Drawing pictures or play with puppets about the person who died

Young children often express grief more readily through play and art than through verbal discussion.

When explaining death to a young child, a counselor should advise parents to:

Answer: Use concrete words like 'died' and explain the body has stopped working

Euphemisms confuse children, so clear, concrete language helps them understand the finality of death.

In Rando's 'six R' processes of mourning, which process involves reviewing and remembering the deceased and the relationship realistically?

Answer: Recollect and re-experience the deceased and the relationship

Rando's 'recollect and re-experience' process involves realistic review of the relationship and its memories.

A counselor practicing cultural humility with a client from an unfamiliar tradition should first:

Answer: Ask the client how their beliefs and customs shape their mourning

Cultural humility involves curiosity and letting the client teach the counselor about their own practices.

Which outcome is the primary purpose of psychoeducation in grief counseling?

Answer: Normalizing common grief reactions and reducing fear about them

Psychoeducation teaches clients what typical grief looks like, reassuring them that their reactions are normal.