Personal Growth of the Therapist

Abstract

Loss through death can be a difficult topic for family psychotherapists and clients. A Model of Active Acceptance is to bring alive shared experiences with loss which intellectually are recognized as key issues in individual and family dynamics but which too often remain unchallenged in the emotional and experiential context. Understanding fearful reactions to death and the humanistic parallel process provides an opportunity for the therapist's own growth and devolves positively on clients and trainees. Practice implications are directed to promote dialogue about therapists' reactions when clients talk about loss through death.

Key Words:

• Loss
• death
• fear
• growth