Stress and Coping of Volunteers Counseling the Dying and Bereaved

Abstract

The stress and coping experience of forty-five community volunteers who have counseled dying clients and their families for three to thirty-five months is reported. Many volunteers joined SHANTI having experienced the death of a significant other, having a positive view of their friends/family, and having a professional interest in counseling or a related profession. Volunteers most frequently reported turning to themselves or to the client when distressed, although they also turned to peers, friends, and family. Volunteers most frequently associated feeling of uplift (“something that makes you feel good”) with empathic contact with the client or as a result of their own evaluation of their client contact. The perception that the “social climate” of SHANTI provided training, a milieu conducive to resolving personal and counseling issues, and a common role-defined purpose seemed to be a significant factor in the stress response and coping experience of this population.