Counselor preparedness to counsel grieving clients: Insights and implications

Abstract

Given grief’s ubiquitous nature, counselors will inevitably engage with grieving clients. However, research suggests that counselors are not receiving adequate training in grief counseling. In this qualitative research study, 11 counselors shared their training and experiences counseling clients grieving a death-related loss. Five themes—Personal Dynamics of the Counselor, Missing Preparation and Desired Training, Perceived Counselor Responsibilities, The Client-Counselor Relationship, and Revolving Systemic Factors—were identified to capture the experiences influencing their perceived preparedness for counseling this population. The findings highlight the need to infuse grief and loss into course curricula and supervision to promote foundational understanding.

Additional information

Funding

This study was partially funded by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Friends of EPC Grant.