Bo's Place - Where Children are Heard and Hearts are Healed

Treatment of Complicated Grief: A Comparison Between Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Supportive Counseling

Authors:
Boelen, Paul A.
de Keijser, Jos
van den Hout, Marcel A.
van den Bout, Jan

Source:
Journal of Counseling and Clinical Psychology: 2007. Volume 75, Number 2, pp. 277-284.

Summary

This article describes a study conducted in the Netherlands that compared the effectiveness of different therapeutic interventions in treating complicated grief. Three treatments were analyzed: twelve weeks of supportive counseling, six weeks of exposure therapy followed by six weeks of cognitive restructuring, and six weeks of cognitive restructuring followed by six weeks of exposure therapy. The authors concluded that exposure therapy followed by cognitive restructuring was the most effective treatment for complicated grief. Cognitive restructuring followed by exposure therapy was found to be the second most effective treatment. Participants treated only with supportive counseling showed relatively small improvements in measurements of complicated grief. The authors caution that the sample sizes used in this study were small.

Key words: complicated, trauma, prolonged, cognitive, support, emotion

Service Provider Implications

This study points to the importance of using exposure therapies, consisting of confronting memories regarding the deceased, in interventions for individuals struggling with complicated grief. In addition, the study indicates that cognitive restructuring, or reformulating negative thinking patterns, is effective in interventions associated with complicated grief. Supportive counseling alone was shown to be of limited value for those who are experiencing complicated grief.