Abstract

Grief is something that touches everyone; it can be particularly confusing and painful because we do not normally experience such intensity of emotion. Grief certainly occurs after the death of someone we love, but it also manifests in the midst of losses that may not be as obvious or easily described. Unresolved grief increases the risk of anxiety, depression, substance use, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In this presentation we will look at the different forms of losses we experience other than the death of a loved one. We will explore the unique grief that results from losses that are non finite, ambiguous, and intangible in nature. How we come to terms with the powerful emotions present when grieving, and look at the grieving relationship loss using the attachment based model of counseling, Emotionally Focused Therapy.