Title: Complicated Grief: An Evolving Theoretical Landscape

Authors: A. Elizabeth Crunk, PhD; Laurie A. Burke, PhD; and E. H. Mike Robinson III

Description: The bereavement literature has proliferated in recent decades, generating a shift from conceptualizing grief as a stepwise, uniform process to an idiosyncratic experience that varies between individuals. Among the most notable developments is the empirical exploration of complicated grief • a protracted, debilitating, sometimes life-threatening response to the death of a loved one • and the testing of novel interventions to treat it. This article provides counselors with recommendations for identifying and treating complicated grief.

Title: Crisis and Grief in Schools: Creative Group Interventions for Counselors

Presenters: Katie Christensen, MA and Mónica Rodríguez, MA

Description: Students in all types of schools experience the deaths of family and friends due to school violence, accidents, illnesses, and suicide. School counselors or other mental health professionals may struggle to adequately support grieving students.This session will address trauma-informed strategies for offering support groups for adolescent students experiencing grief, with the goal of understanding the importance of directly addressing grief in the school setting.

Title: Identifying and Addressing Grief and Loss Issues in a Person with Aphasia: A Single Case Study

Authors: Elizabeth A. Doughty Horn, PhD; Judith A. Crews, PhD; Beth Guryan; Bessie M. Katsilometes, PhD

Description: This single-case study is designed to help counselors conceptualize grief and loss issues experienced by a person with aphasia and improve the effectiveness in counseling individuals with this disability. Given the unique communication needs of this population, creative approaches to counseling are presented. Five themes were identified through the coding of interview transcripts: questioning identity, questioning existence, questioning normality, questioning feelings, and adapting to a new reality. In addition, the overarching theme of disenfranchised grief emerged from the data.