Considerations for Grief Interventions: Eras of Witnessing with Families

Abstract

This article describes research that was conducted to articulate interventions with families experiencing grief. Using an interpretive methodology framed by philosophical hermeneutics allowed for a depth of understanding of these therapeutic conversations. The research findings offer explanations of the role of time in relation to grief, particularly the timing of interventions, and describe the significance of working with multiple family members during therapeutic interventions. This research was unique in that it approached grief counseling with a family focus, the participants were interviewed for this study several years after the therapeutic encounter, and the underlying theoretical framework for the interventions focused on grief as a lifelong, life-changing experience, rather than a finite, pathology-laden event.

Family characteristics and dynamics: A systems approach to grief

“…It has been noted that most intervention work has been only theoretical, e.g. focusing upon the manner in which family systems theory can inform research, with little explanation and/or empirical validation for reported effects on families who have experienced some form of therapy (Thirsk, 2009;Thirsk & Moules, 2012).…”

“…what does the family need at a particular time. Thus, understanding the family's grief should be understood in terms both short-term and long-term time frames, stressing what family members can do to help one another during therapy (see Moules, Simonson, Fleiser, Prins, & Glasgow, 2007;Thirsk & Moules, 2012). Underscoring the family systemic nature of grief is the observation that What was most striking with these families was how different the clinical work would have been had they been seen individually and had there been a focus on their emotional and psychological state .…”

“…Attrition over time may not be accounted for, eroding otherwise substantial treatment effects, and adherence to treatment protocols varies (see Schut et al, 2001;Thirsk, 2009;Thirsk & Moules, 2012). As approaches to family systems and grief relationships tend to be either quantitative (self-report measures) or qualitative (coded interviews), a mixed methods approach might be most valuable (Waldrop, 2007).…”

“I Can Just Be Me”

“…Instances such as these, when sessions were not seen as useful, also have something to offer in terms of understanding nursing practice with families. One interpretation of why the sessions were not helpful was related to timing, as has been reported elsewhere (see Thirsk & Moules, 2012).…”

A world shared – a world apart: the experience of families after the death of a significant other late in life

“…Bereaved families’ unique configurations, needs, capacities and meaning‐making strategies are of interest (Gilbert, , Nadeau , Berger & Weiss , Davis et al ., ). While a focus on what constitutes age‐normative family functions continues to abound, it is increasingly appreciated that manifold ways of living as a family and grieving meaningfully co‐exist (Hedtke & Winslade , Nadeau , Neimeyer , Thirsk & Moules ).…”