Grief therapy goals…

Tuesday, February 20, 2024. This is also for RB in her ongoing quest for big thoughts…

Robert A. Neimeyer is a prominent figure in grief therapy, known for his innovative ideas and approaches to helping individuals cope with loss…

Here are His Essential Grief Therapy Goals for Managing Grief and Loss…

• Meaning Reconstruction: Neimeyer's approach to grief therapy centers around meaning reconstruction. He suggests that when humans experience loss, they are confronted with existential questions about the nature of life, death, and the self.

  We engage in meaning-making to cope with our pain and make sense of our experience.

  This involves constructing a narrative that integrates the loss into our ongoing life story, finding new meanings and purposes in the wake of the loss. Neimeyer emphasizes that this process of meaning reconstruction is not a one-time event but an ongoing journey that unfolds over time as we reflect on and reinterpret our experiences.

• Continuing Bonds: Neimeyer challenges the traditional notion that grief involves a process of detachment and letting go.

  Instead, he proposes the concept of continuing bonds, which suggests that humans can maintain a meaningful connection with their deceased loved ones even after they have passed away.

  This might involve rituals such as visiting the grave or setting up a memorial, preserving memories through storytelling or keepsakes, or finding symbolic ways to keep the relationship alive.

  Neimeyer emphasizes that continuing bonds can comfort and support our grief, making us feel connected to our loved ones even in their absence.

• Narrative Therapy: Neimeyer draws heavily from Narrative Therapy principles in his approach to grief counseling.

  He believes that we construct our identities and make sense of our experiences through the stories we tell about ourselves and our lives.

  In grief therapy, he helps clients explore and reshape their narratives to incorporate the loss experience in a way that allows growth and healing.

  This might involve examining the dominant themes and plotlines in their life stories, identifying how the loss has impacted their sense of identity and purpose, and finding new ways to narrate their lives in light of the loss.

• Dual Process Model: Neimeyer has contributed to developing the Dual Process Model of coping with grief, which suggests that grieving humans oscillate between two types of processes: loss-oriented and restoration-oriented. Loss-oriented processes involve confronting the pain of the loss itself, such as mourning, reminiscing, and yearning for the deceased. Dealing with these powerful feelings shapes our grief therapy goals.

  Restoration-oriented processes involve adapting to the loss's practical and emotional changes, such as building new routines, seeking social support, and engaging in self-care activities. Neimeyer's work emphasizes the importance of balancing these processes for healthy grieving, allowing individuals to move back and forth between confronting the pain of the loss and attending to the practical demands of everyday life.

• Emotion-Focused Therapy: Neimeyer integrates Emotion-Focused Therapy principles into his grief counseling approach. He helps clients identify and explore their emotions related to the loss, fostering a compassionate and nonjudgmental space for emotional expression.

  This might involve validating and processing difficult emotions such as sadness, anger, guilt, or regret, helping clients to make sense of their emotional experiences and find ways to cope with them effectively.

  By acknowledging and working through these emotions, clients can gradually come to terms with their loss and find a sense of emotional resolution.

• Cultural Sensitivity: Neimeyer recognizes the influence of cultural factors on the grieving process and emphasizes the importance of cultural sensitivity in establishing grief therapy goals.

  He encourages therapists to acknowledge and respect their clients' cultural beliefs, values, and practices, recognizing that different cultures may have unique ways of understanding and coping with loss.

  This might involve exploring how cultural norms and traditions shape individuals' experiences of grief, identifying culturally appropriate coping strategies, and addressing any cultural barriers that may impact the therapeutic process.

  By taking a culturally sensitive approach, therapists can ensure that their interventions are relevant, respectful, and effective for clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.

  Overall, Neimeyer's ideas for grief therapy goals reflect a comprehensive and integrative approach that addresses the multidimensional nature of the grieving process. Grief therapy goals are constantly juggling many vital self-care concerns.

  By drawing from multiple theoretical perspectives and emphasizing empathy, collaboration, and cultural sensitivity, Neimeyer's approach provides a framework for therapists to support humans navigating the rugged terrain of grief and bereavement.

  Be well, stay Kind, and Godspeed.

REFERENCES:

Neimeyer, R. A. (Ed.). (2000). "Meaning reconstruction & the experience of loss." Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2006). "Lessons of loss: A guide to coping." Memphis, TN: Center for the Study of Loss and Transition.

Neimeyer, R. A. (Ed.). (2012). "Techniques of grief therapy: Creative practices for counseling the bereaved." New York, NY: Routledge.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2016). "Meaning making in the wake of loss: Evolution of a research program." In J. V. Jordan, M. Neimeyer, & R. A. Neimeyer (Eds.), "Meaning reconstruction and the experience of loss" (pp. 3-30). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Neimeyer, R. A., & Sands, D. C. (2011). "Grief assessment and intervention: A public health perspective." In S. K. Gersten & J. L. Levitt (Eds.), "Comprehensive handbook of social work and social welfare: Volume 3. The profession of social work" (pp. 327-346). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2014). "Constructivist psychotherapy." In M. J. Lambert (Ed.), "Bergin and Garfield's handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change" (6th ed., pp. 298-334). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2017). "Reconstructing meaning in the wake of loss: From schema to scenario." In M. M. Leary & F. J. O. Nascimento (Eds.), "Death and denial: Interdisciplinary perspectives on the legacy of Ernest Becker" (pp. 221-244). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Neimeyer, R. A., & Burke, L. A. (Eds.). (2019). "A companion to grief studies." Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2020). "The ethics of applied practice in grief therapy." In J. M. Stillion & J. L. Werth Jr. (Eds.), "The ethics of bereavement: Principles and practice in support of the grieving" (pp. 107-125). New York, NY: Routledge.