Working with Loss and Grief [Book]

Working with Loss and Grief provides a new model which makes clear connections between theory and practice. The 'Range of Response to Loss' model provides a theoretical 'compass' for recognising the wide variability in reaction to loss and the 'Adult Attitude to Grief' scale is a tool for 'mapping' individual grief and its change over time, providing an individual grief profile. Together these offer a framework for practitioners to: " Listen to stories of grief told by clients " Identify common patterns in grief; " Recognize individual difference in grief response " Assess the need for therapeutic intervention or support " Prompt therapeutic dialogue " Guide therapeutic focus " Appraise clients " Evaluate outcomes. Case examples show that the experience of grief is highly individual, but also capable of being understood in terms of general concepts. As such it is a valuable resource not only for practitioners and trainees in counselling and social work, but also for psychologists, doctors, nurses, and for researchers studying loss and grief.