Family Therapy in Cases of Interminable Grief for the Loss of a Child

Abstract

This paper presents a treatment method in cases where grieving for the death of a child extends beyond normal parameters. The symptoms of interminable grief are likely to continue unless there is direct, and often dramatic intervention. Guidelines for clinical assessment are presented, with particular emphasis upon the investigation of family history in which an early, unresolved death may have occurred. This approach integrates grief work with the individual into a family therapy framework and reflects the notion that grieving, even if identified in one person, is a family affair. Criteria for the inclusion of family members in treatment are considered, the stresses upon the therapist are addressed, a course of treatment is outlined, and two representative cases are presented.