Internet-Based Treatment for Complicated Grief: Concepts and Case Study

Abstract

The authors review current concepts of complicated grief and propose a new Internet-based cognitive-behavioral treatment program for complicated grief. They show how complicated grief is distinguished from disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety in the literature and explore the effectiveness of existing bereavement interventions. According to meta-analyses, conventional bereavement interventions show no overall benefit and may even have harmful effects if initiated too soon. For people with complicated grief symptoms or those affected by a death in traumatic circumstances, however, interventions have proved to reduce symptoms. Against this background, the authors introduce an Internet-based cognitive-behavioral treatment program for complicated grief that integrates established methods of psychotherapy with new technology. The intervention was conducted via e-mail and aimed exclusively at clients with complicated grief. The procedure and course of this new approach are illustrated in a case study. The treatment successfully reduced symptoms. Results and further implications of an Internet-based writing protocol are discussed.

The Usage of Digital Resources by Swedish Suicide Bereaved in Their Grief Work: A Survey Study

“…The fact that the respondents lost a relative or a close friend to suicide makes them a very vulnerable group (e.g., Hollander, 2001;Jacobs & Prigerson, 2000;Wagner et al, 2005). In line with this, the results showed high values for almost all perceived negative consequences at the time of the relatives' suicide, that is, Depressed mood, Meaninglessness, Anxiety, and so forth (Table 4; cf.…”

“…This can in some cases lead to what is referred to as complicated or traumatic grief (Jacobs & Prigerson, 2000;Wagner et al, 2005). To this can be added a social and cultural stigma that is closely associated with suicide acts, which for the bereaved can cause strong emotions of feeling rejected, isolated, and misunderstood.…”

“…Grief reactions and bereavement should not primarily be regarded as a pathological condition (Wagner, Knaevelsrud, & Maercker, 2005), but rather as a psychosocial and existential limit situation (Jaspers, 1932(Jaspers, /1970 triggered by an overwhelming and disruptive loss in life. These are situations where people are utterly thrown into a new life situation, torn away from what they thought was safe and secure in life-an experience which today is often digitized and highly entangled with digital media and online practices (Lagerkvist, 2016).…”

Patolojik Yas Terapilerinin Etkinliği: Sistematik Derleme

“…The scores on physical health scale did not reflect significant change at both posttreatment and follow-up. Wagner et al (2005) …”

“…Writing intervention was used as a grief treatment intervention in four selected studies (Wagner et al 2005, 2006, Wagner and Maercker 2007, Eisma et al 2015. It is noteworthy to mention that the intervention in each of these four studies was based on the CBT approach and that the writing tasks were delivered via e-mail.…”