The Uncomplicated Grief Counseling Theory
The theory of family intervention that has been selected for this case is the uncomplicated grief counseling presumption. In this theory, the argument is that the grieving person experiences a normal sorrow in the event of a loss of a close person. The individual is not incapacitated by the experience, although he or she is experiencing a feeling of loss (Worden, 1996). In other words, uncomplicated anguish is also known as the typical pain, unlike the complicated one where an individual is deeply and mentally affected by the loss of another person. This grief can lead to incapacitation and the inability to perform regular daily life tasks.
Some of the main concepts of uncomplicated grief include:
- Loss of an individual-In this case, the cause of the pain must involve the death or loss of a person
- Sorrow of the individual-Refers to the process of feeling intense distress after the loss of an individual, often through death
- Often includes periods of acute grief-The affected person experiences not only an intense feeling of hopelessness on the individual who has died but also a sense of extreme disbelief on the death of the individual
- Intense and painful experience-The person demonstrates much emotional pain from the experience during the grieving period
- The ability to perform regular activities-The death and grief does not impair or incapacitate an individual from performing normal activities
- The ability to take care of responsibilities-A grieving person can also take care of his or her responsibilities
The theory of uncomplicated grief counseling follows vital intervention techniques to help individuals from the effects of sorrow (Worden, 1996). These interventions include the provision of group bereavement for the affected family members. For instance, in Tanner’s family, the intervention approach to providing group mourning can be applied to the children, the father, and the uncle who are the closest relatives and family people of the woman who has died. The second intervention is the provision of individual bereavement to the various family members. For instance, in the case of Tanner’s folks, the individual bereavement is provided to individuals since each person deals with the grief differently.
The PowerPoint has also provided important techniques to be applied to people who experience intense or complicated grief and bereavement. The first method involves helping to reduce the pain of people who are experiencing intense symptoms of grief. The second intervention technique is the prevention or curing the complicated grief. The third technique is the mitigation of long-term negative effects of bereavement.
The Family Approach, Techniques, and Skills
Various approaches, skills, and techniques have been established at a time when the discipline of family therapy is gaining a prominent role in today’s society. The PowerPoint that has been presented relating to Tanner’s family highlights and captures various family therapies, techniques, and skills. Firstly, the PowerPoint has used the genogram diagram, which is a significant technique in family therapy. A genogram chart is used to reveal family’s history, including its basic structure and demographics (Kubler-Ross, 2009). In most cases, the genogram shows three generations in a family. It marks demographics such as death, marriages, and other characteristics using symbols (Schut & Stroebe, 2005).
The genogram for Tanner’s family has only revealed two generations. Thus, it left out a big chunk of the family history, which could have contributed immensely to the family therapy program. However, it has revealed the death of Pamela who was the wife to Danny and a mother to the three kids, namely D.J, Stephanie, and Baby Michelle.
The use of family photos is also a strong family technique, which reveals essential aspects of a family’s relational history. In the PowerPoint, the use of family photos is evident. The photo of the whole family ensures that the family can remember the happier moments when the mother was still alive (Worden, 2002). Family photos are quite revealing. A therapist can use them to gauge the family relationships, roles, rituals, and communication patterns, which can greatly assist in ensuring that the therapy is successful.
The third and last approach and techniques that the PowerPoint has illustrated is ‘putting the client in control of the symptom’. In this approach, the therapist allows the family members or individuals to be in control of the process of healing by allowing them to contribute towards determining the goals that they would like to achieve at the end of the therapy process (Shapiro, 1994). In the PowerPoint, the treatment plan and goals for Tanner’s family members towards the therapy sessions have been set forward. These goals are very crucial in ensuring that the members feel part of the process as they heal and recover from the grief period.
Impact of the Family Differences on My Use of the Techniques
In many occasions, personal feelings and other factors often get into the way of a therapist’s ability to provide good psychoanalysis to clients. Sometimes, a client’s grief may remind a therapist of his or her unattended grief issues or other deeply rooted problems (Kubler-Ross, 2009). However, the ability of a therapist to fit himself or herself into the issues of the patient can also be a big boost towards effective and more detailed therapy sessions to assist the client to come out of the grief issues.
In the case of Tanner’s family, the grief that the young girls are undergoing is sound. Hence, the therapist is demonstrating dedication to ensuring that the family can go through the grief period successfully because of the need to protect the young girls who have lost their mother at a very young age. Hence, the differences between the family under study and me have pushed me to view critically the techniques to be applied in providing the family with adequate support towards this trying moment.
Steps to use to Work with this Family
Providing family therapy in the event of the loss of a loved one can be a painful experience for the patients and the therapist (Schut & Stroebe, 2005). The grief counseling sessions are aimed at ensuring that the family members attain regular lives in the new arrangement without their loved one. However, if they are not handled well, they can slip back into grief to the extent of affecting the family’s normal functioning. Hence, it is very crucial for a therapist to have in mind the steps that are supposed to be taken after the end of the therapy sessions. In the case of Tanner’s family, to achieve the best outcomes for the family, the best approaches would include an elaborate follow-up plan to ensure that the emerging issues are addressed before they can get out of control. For instance, since the family is very young, the idea of growing without a mother may have been strange for the young girls.
As reality comes up, many psychological issues are likely to affect the young girl’s wellbeing. On the other hand, bringing up of young girls for single dad may be a significant problem to Danny Tanner. The issues that concern the father and the daughters may be a big hindrance towards complete healing. In recognition of these issues, a follow-up plan will be essential for the family. Such a follow-up strategy can include scheduled periods of counseling or reporting on progress towards the healing of the family, as well as capturing of the emerging issues by the therapist for solutions to be established (Kubler-Ross, 2009). The follow-up plan is very advisable until the time when the therapist can authoritatively report total healing and end of grief by the family.
Management of Ethical Issues
Providing professional family therapy, especially grief counseling among other psychoanalysis disciplines, exposes people to great emotions, which can easily lead to questions relating to their authority to provide such services (Shapiro, 1994). However, it is vital to understand that the therapists are human beings who often have other personal issues to handle. Hence, many ethical issues arise in the process of dealing with patients. The way a therapist addresses these issues has a profound effect on the outcomes of the professional family rehabilitation and counseling sessions (Walsh, 2006).
As a counselor, some of the ethical issues that have been highlighted in the PowerPoint relate to my experience with the family. However, I have managed to provide the family with professional services. Firstly, it is crucial to note the importance of limits. At all costs, a therapist needs to understand that he or she is in charge of providing solutions and/or helping clients to recover from their issues. Hence, the therapist has to try to bring forward these underlying personal issues in a way that does not impair service delivery.
In this case, I ensured that I was aware of the fact that the clients had the free will of choosing the direction on which they wanted the therapy to take, hence respecting the patients’ decisions as much as possible while at the same time offering the appropriate guidance. Secondly, it is crucial to ensure that personal grief issues or other deep-rooted problems that relate to the client’s issues do not affect the ability of the therapist or counselor to offer guidance. Indeed, such issues should be used as a way of offering guidance and empathy to the clients to ensure that they understand that the therapist shares and understands their feelings and emotions. This appreciation demonstrates the therapist’s dedication to offering the clients the help they deserve.
More Thoughts and Reflections
Offering professional counseling to clients, especially in a grief situation, requires a deep understanding of key ethical issues and empathy (Kubler-Ross, 2009). When young children are involved in such situations, it becomes easy for a counselor to feel the need to protect the young ones. However, the therapist may be experiencing issues that can easily impair his or her ability to offer professional counseling that is needed to help the clients out of their problems. In this case, it is crucial for the therapist to adhere to the professional codes of conduct and ethics. Besides, it is crucial to note that each counseling session or client is unique. This distinctiveness is a learning point for the client and the counselor.
Reference List
Kubler-Ross, E. (2009). On Death and Dying: What the Dying have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy and their Own Families. Milton Park, Oxfordshire: Taylor & Francis. Web.
Schut, H., & Stroebe, M. (2005). Interventions to Enhance Adaptation to Bereavement. Journal of palliative medicine, 8 (1), 140-147. Web.
Shapiro, E. (1994). Grief as a Family Process: A Developmental Approach to Clinical Practice. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Web.
Walsh, F. (2006). Strengthening Family Resilience. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Web.
Worden, J. (1996). Children and Grief: When a Parent Dies. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Web.
Worden, J. (2002). Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, Inc. Web.