Grief & Loss Counseling Flashcards
7 cards from real ACC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Grief & Loss Counseling flashcards as text
A bereaved parent insists they 'should be over this by now' six months after losing a child. What is the chaplain's most therapeutic response?
Answer: Validate their grief and explain there is no fixed timeline for loss
There is no universal timeline for grief, and validating this normalizes the bereaved person's experience and reduces shame.
Which of the following best describes 'complicated grief' (also called prolonged grief disorder)?
Answer: Intense, persistent grief that significantly impairs functioning beyond expected duration
Prolonged grief disorder involves persistent, debilitating mourning that does not follow typical adaptive trajectories and impairs daily functioning.
A widow states she still sets a place at the table for her deceased husband every evening. How should a chaplain interpret this behavior?
Answer: A potentially normal grief ritual that maintains continuing bonds
Continuing bonds theory recognizes that maintaining symbolic connections with the deceased can be a healthy and culturally meaningful part of grieving.
Therese Rando's '6 R' processes of mourning begin with which foundational task?
Answer: Recognizing the loss
Rando's model begins with 'Recognizing the loss,' acknowledging both the death and its implications before proceeding through subsequent processes.
When supporting a grieving person from a culture that practices loud, communal wailing at funerals, the chaplain should:
Answer: Recognize this as a culturally valid mourning practice and support it
Cultural humility requires chaplains to affirm expressions of grief that differ from dominant cultural norms and avoid pathologizing diverse mourning practices.
A man whose wife died by suicide is experiencing intense guilt and shame. Which of the following is the priority chaplain intervention?
Answer: Offer a non-judgmental presence and normalize his complex emotions
Loss by suicide carries unique stigma and survivor guilt; non-judgmental presence that validates complex emotions is the foundational chaplaincy response.
In Worden's Task Model, the fourth task of mourning is best described as:
Answer: Finding an enduring connection while embarking on a new life
Worden revised his fourth task from 'withdrawing emotional energy' to finding a way to maintain an enduring connection with the deceased while reinvesting in life.