Counselling seniors through grief and loss : an eight-week group therapy program

Abstract

This project provides an overview of the research literature related to grief and loss among seniors, and concludes with the facilitators’ manual for an 8-week therapy group for seniors coping with grief and loss. The overview consists of a description of current theories of grief and loss, an introduction to various approaches to grief counselling with seniors, and an assessment of the effectiveness of group counselling for seniors. The project focuses primarily on cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), reminiscence therapy (RT), and companioning therapy as approaches to counselling seniors through grief. The project promotes the view that group therapy is an effective form of counselling for seniors, and that future research is needed in developing group counselling programs for seniors.