Grief Counseling

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that life is for the living, and remaining depressed about the death of a friend for a long period of time is likely not what the friend who passed away would have wanted. The writer maintains that the friend would have wanted the still-living friend to enjoy the life that he or she was given, and not waste it by being sad and angry over things which were beyond his or her control. Knowing this in one's head, however, and understanding it with one's heart are not the same. Further the writer points out that teenagers who grieve for their lost friends know that they must resume their lives and move on, but they often have trouble figuring out how best to do this. This is where grief counseling comes in and why it is so important. To illustrate this point, the shootings that took place at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado in 1999 are used as an example of teenage grief and how counseling is utilized.

Outline:
Introduction
Grief and Acceptance
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Those who come forward as grief counselors also help to calm the parents and the students and reassure them that something like that will not happen at their school. Everyone responds to sudden death differently and it is important to understand how teenagers deal with this and how grief counseling can help them to get on with their lives and be happy once again. Many years ago a British psychiatrist by the name of John Bowlby created the attachment theory. Much of the current thinking that deals with how someone mourns a loss rests on the basic foundations that Bowlby created. He talked of the very powerful bonds that were between human beings and when these bonds are jeopardized through illness or injury when they are destroyed through death the individual who is still living experiences a very disruptive period."
These particular bonds are often developed very early in life and endure for very long time. They are formed due to basic human needs for security and for safety and usually they are only directed toward a few specific individuals. In the early years this is usually directed only towards the family that as children mature it is often also directed outward toward friends in a slightly larger circle."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Belkin, L. (1999, October 31). Parents blaming parents. New York Times Sunday Magazine, p. F61.
• Boss, P. (1999). Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief. Harvard University Press, MA.
• Bowlby, J. (1977). The making and breaking of affectional bonds, I and II. British Journal of Psychiatry, (130), 201-210, 421-431.
• Bowlby, L. (1980). Attachment and loss: Vol. III. Loss--Sadness and depression. New York: Basic Books.
• Doka, K, ed. (2002). Disenfranchised Grief: New Directions, Challenges, and Strategies for Practice. Research Press, II.

More papers on Grief Counseling:

• Essay # 47150 : "Grief Counseling in the Schools"
• Essay # 25917 : "Grief Counseling"
• Essay # 49577 : "Grief Counseling"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: