Complicated Grief – follow-up

I recently posted about complicated (prolonged) grief, grief which a person gets stuck in for longer and/or more intense periods than is considered typical. The usual cause of complicated grief may be the loss of a loved one, but I found myself curious about the possibility that other losses could bring it on as well, and asked   The Center for Prolonged Grief,  Columbia School of Social Work:

 

“Layperson question regarding complicated grief: Is complicated grief truly only a challenge for people grieving their loss of a person? Can it be activated by other kinds of loss, for example, loss of professional identity, divorce?”

 

Natalia Skritskaya, PhD (pronouns: she/her/hers), CGT Trainer, Adjunct Associate Research Scientist, Center for Complicated (Prolonged) Grief, Columbia University

kindly answered:
“Thank you for your email. Our main expertise and research studies are focused on grief after the death of a loved one, but there are other losses that can trigger a similar grief reaction. A loss of an important relationship or divorce is definitely one of them. I have successfully used our complicated grief treatment with clients grieving their divorce. We know that non-bereavement losses can also lead to complicated (prolonged) grief, but there is less research about those losses.
In practice, experienced clinicians can use our approach with a range of losses if a client seems to be struggling with complicated/prolonged grief. You may be aware that we have a directory of clinicians who trained with us and might help.
Let me know if you have additional questions.
Warm regards,”
Cane over chair

About Lauren Williams

Lauren Williams, Certified Professional Organizer®, Certified Virtual Professional Organizer®

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