BMS Psychology of Grief Counseling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which theorist proposed the 'continuing bonds' model of grief, suggesting that maintaining a connection with the deceased is healthy?
- Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
- Dennis Klass (Correct answer)
- George Bonanno
- Colin Murray Parkes
Correct answer: Dennis Klass
Dennis Klass, along with Silverman and Nickman, proposed that maintaining an ongoing bond with the deceased can be a healthy part of grief adaptation.
Question 2: A bereaved parent visits the funeral home frequently after arrangements are complete, asking repetitive questions. This behavior most likely reflects:
- Pathological grief requiring immediate psychiatric referral
- A normal search for meaning and continued connection (Correct answer)
- Dissatisfaction with funeral services
- Denial that their child has died
Correct answer: A normal search for meaning and continued connection
Repetitive visits and questions are common expressions of a bereaved parent's search for meaning and their need to maintain connection during acute grief.
Question 3: In Worden's Tasks of Mourning, what is the primary goal of Task III?
- Accepting the reality of the loss
- Processing the pain of grief
- Adjusting to a world without the deceased (Correct answer)
- Finding an enduring connection with the deceased
Correct answer: Adjusting to a world without the deceased
Task III focuses on adapting to external, internal, and spiritual changes that come with living in a world where the deceased is absent.
Question 4: Which of the following is a characteristic feature of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) as defined in DSM-5-TR?
- Grief symptoms lasting more than 2 weeks
- Intense yearning or longing for the deceased persisting beyond 12 months in adults (Correct answer)
- Complete absence of positive emotions within 6 months
- Inability to attend the funeral
Correct answer: Intense yearning or longing for the deceased persisting beyond 12 months in adults
PGD requires intense yearning, longing, or preoccupation with the deceased lasting more than 12 months (6 months in children) at a clinically significant level.
Question 5: When a family member expresses anger at the funeral director for a perceived minor error, the most therapeutically appropriate response is:
- Firmly defend the funeral home's procedures
- Recognize the anger as displaced grief and respond with empathy (Correct answer)
- Suggest the family member seek professional help
- Offer a discount on services to resolve the tension
Correct answer: Recognize the anger as displaced grief and respond with empathy
Displaced anger is common in acute grief; recognizing it as such and responding with empathy de-escalates tension and supports the bereaved.
Question 6: The 'dual process model' of coping with bereavement, developed by Stroebe and Schut, describes oscillation between:
- Shock and acceptance
- Loss-orientation and restoration-orientation (Correct answer)
- Denial and bargaining
- Introjection and projection
Correct answer: Loss-orientation and restoration-orientation
Stroebe and Schut's dual process model describes healthy coping as oscillating between loss-oriented (grief-focused) and restoration-oriented (life-change focused) coping.
Question 7: A widow states she still sets a place at the dinner table for her deceased husband six months after his death. A grief-informed funeral professional should:
- Advise her this behavior is unhealthy and she should stop
- Recognize this as a continuing bond ritual that may be adaptive (Correct answer)
- Recommend immediate psychiatric evaluation
- Suggest she donate his belongings to avoid such reminders
Correct answer: Recognize this as a continuing bond ritual that may be adaptive
Setting a place at the table is a continuing bond ritual that many bereaved individuals find comforting and meaningful, and should not be pathologized.
BMS Psychology of Grief Counseling 2
Which theorist proposed the 'continuing bonds' model of grief, suggesting that maintaining a connection with the deceased is healthy?