Grief Vs Bereavement

Grief and bereavement are different for each individual, that is no two people will experience a loss in the same way. A loss is the absence of something we deem meaningful. Over the years there have been many different theories of grief, but it is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. The aim of this paper is to compare two grief models, namely Dr Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ Five Stages of Grief and Dr William Worden’s Tasks of Mourning including the Seven Mediators of Mourning. After comparing the two models the paper will then look at how the two models are different and finish with a case study using one of the models.
Dr Elisabeth Kubler-Ross was a Swiss born Psychiatrist. During her in psychiatry residency she was appalled by the treatment
Becoming so sad that things just don 't matter anymore. Feelings of hopelessness, sorrow, and despair overwhelm the bereaved.
Acceptance. Coming to terms with reality. Loss is part of life and cannot be avoided. If the loss is the death of a loved one then a feeling of calmness and peace that the berefts loved one is no longer suffering and is at rest or peace, having gone on to a better place.
These stages can come in any order and can be intertwined. The bereft will experience grief in their own way and their own time. Some people will move through the grieving process quickly, and others take much more time to grieve. Some bereaved people may effectively remain in denial for a long time and put off their grieving.
The Four Tasks of Mourning is based on research by Dr J William Worden, PhD, who is currently a professor at Biola University in California. Dr Worden (2009) theorised that the grieving process was broken down into four main tasks of grieving and seven mediators of mourning which could be addressed individually or at the same time.
Dr Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning
If Penny has not accepted the reality of the loss, then Penny has to begin the letting go of the deceased. However, if the difficulty is in experiencing the pain, then I would help Penny feel safe enough to feel both the positive and negative aspects of his or her grief. This safety would be built up through the accepting relationship established between myself and Penny. If adjusting to the environment seems to be the hurdle, then problem solving would become the focus of helping Penny to make the needed changes to get back to living. If Penny were unable to engage in relationships and withdraw her emotional energy from Katherine, then I would have to work with her to help release her from the binding attachment to Katherine and to be free to develop new relationships. Often the bereft are afraid to let go of the deceased for fear that the deceased will be forgotten. It may be constructive for me to counsel Penny on how to build new connections to Katherine, new ways to think about her in a more spiritual or ethereal manner. I would also urge social connectedness with others by encouraging and supporting efforts in that