Introduction: Perspectives on Counseling the Bereaved

The death of a loved one is a universal human experience. Consistent with long-term trends, just under two and one half million people died in the United States during the year 2001 (Arias, Anderson, Kung, Murphy, & Kochanek, 2003). Although it is difficult to estimate the number of family members, friends, and acquaintances affected by these death losses, it is clear that many in our society find themselves in a state of bereavement during any given year. The loss of a loved one has been referred to "as life's most stressful event" (National Mental Health Association, n.d., p. 1), and bereavement has been identified as a risk factor for the development of common mental disorders such as anxiety and depression (Kendrick, 1999). In fact, research points to various mental health-related difficulties commonly experienced by bereaved adolescents (Harrison & Harrington, 2001), adults (Ott & Lueger, 2002), and older adults (Bennett, 1998). The prevalence of death losses in conjunction with the potential mental health ramifications of such experiences make the topics of grief and mourning crucial to the work of mental health counselors. In this and the following issue of Journal of Mental Health Counseling, a diverse group of authors offers insights regarding current perspectives associated with counseling the bereaved. These scholars and practitioners are all currently active in the field of thanatology (i.e., study of death and dying) and share in their commitment to remaining abreast of the cutting edge issues in the field. Consistent with the mission of JMHC, the domains of theory, research, and clinical practice are integrated within each article. However, based on their unique professional experiences, these authors have combined and addressed these domains using correspondingly distinct approaches. The articles in this special issue are introduced and discussed based on the primary domain (i.e., theory, research, clinical practice) from which each article emerged. Clearly emerging from the research domain, Henderson, Hayslip, & King offer an empirical perspective on counseling the bereaved through their description of an original research investigation. In response to a recent call within the field of thanatology (Stroebe, Hansson, Stroebe, & Schut, 2001), Henderson et al. studied the longitudinal relationship between grief symptomotology and general functioning. Their findings have practical implications for mental health counselors working with bereaved adults and suggest that an initial clinical focus on enhancing clients' ability to cope with issues of general functioning would likely prove advantageous with regard to later grief-related distress. Although grounded in her work as an academician and practitioner, Servaty-Seib offers a primarily theoretical perspective on the process of mental health counseling with the bereaved. She draws upon her experiences of teaching and directly applying both counseling and grief/mourning concepts to make connections between the theories that have been developed in both areas. Mental health counselors of various theoretical orientations will find direction with regard to incorporating current conceptualizations of grief and mourning into their work with bereaved clients. Noppe and Noppe provide JMHC readers with a perspective on adolescent grief and mourning representing a melding of their respective areas of expertise in thanatology and adolescent development. …