Loss, grief and mourning are ubiquitous human experiences that pervade the work of therapists, psychiatrists, counselors, and social workers alike. Helping those who have experienced a significant loss can be challenging and confusing, largely because there is no single intervention that is well-suited for all individuals. In what ways can we tailor our interventions to accommodate the specific temperaments and psychological needs of our bereaved clients? This experiential module will explore research on the topics of complicated bereavement and attachment theory, and help learners translate these into guidelines for co-constructing creative grief rituals that match the needs of particular clients and are grounded in the meaning of the specific relationship they are attempting to mourn.
Placing rituals in a cultural anthropological perspective, we will discuss various funeral and memorial practices from around the world that demonstrate diverse perspectives on what the mourning process entails and give it symbolic significance. We will then consider several case studies of the use of ritual in grief therapy to convey the scope and depth of such practices and set the stage for their integration into learners’ own therapeutic settings. Finally, we will discuss detailed guidelines for the co-construction of rituals with clients, conclude with a small group exercise in which learners will practice how to assess complicated bereavement, conceptualize what a bereaved client needs, and brainstorm ideas for the creation of a personal grief ritual uniquely relevant to an actual client.
