Loss and Grief

Loss and, as a result, grief are universal human experiences relevant to all areas of social work practice. This course teaches the knowledge and skills to work with individuals, families, and communities impacted by loss. While a primary focus will be on death loss and bereavement, other types of losses discussed will include serious and advanced illness, trauma, relationship ruptures, incarceration, enforced disappearance, family separation, and immigration. The frameworks of social determinants of health, health equity, and social justice and their impact on the loss and grief experience will be reviewed. Students will develop an understanding of the theoretical models of grief, including narrative approaches (e.g., meaning reconstruction, dignity therapy, and storytelling), attachment-focused grief therapy, dual process model of bereavement, ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief, resiliency and public health model of bereavement, and complicated grief and prolonged grief disorder. Students will learn how each grief model guides assessment and intervention. Furthermore, the course will position practitioners as companion grievers and devote time to enhance reflexivity related to their own experiences with loss, grief, and bereavement.