Integrating Buddhist Psychology into Grief Counseling

Abstract

The field of grief counseling has yet to see an integration of Buddhist psychology. Drawing on Buddhist psychology literature and Western models of grief, this article explores possible integrations of two approaches. To lay the foundation for this discussion, the authors introduced a brief overview of the history of Buddhism as well as a Buddhist conception of death and other relevant Buddhist concepts. Integrations of Buddhist psychology and Western models of grief are explored within the context of death and grief as part of life, grief as a process, balancing doing and being, and an interpersonal approach to grief counseling. Application of the Buddhist approach for individual and group practice was illustrated, followed by a cautionary note on the caveats of integrating two approaches. The article ends with a discussion on the implications of the Buddhist approach for counselor self-care.

Notes

¹It should be noted that the Buddhism-related references used in this manuscript are from tertiary sources of Buddhist scholarship, mostly based on Western psychologists' interpretations of English translations of original texts.

²Buddhist concepts that will be described later in the article come from both traditions of Buddhism. This decision was made based on that fact that the main purpose of this manuscript lies in exploring practical implications of integrating Buddhist concepts to grief counseling, not in exercising Buddhist scholarship.