Print or export as you go. Your responses are saved on this device only. Clearing your browser data or switching devices will erase your work. Use the Download PDF or Print button above to keep a permanent copy.

Which Type of Grief Am I Seeing?

Assess the grief presentation to guide your support approach.

Week 3

Appendix C

Observation Checklist

How long since the death? (months/years)

Do you see oscillation (some good days, some bad days)?

Does the pain seem as raw now as it was in the first weeks?

Was the death sudden, violent, witnessed, or horrific?

Does the person report intrusive images of how the person died?

Are they avoiding ALL reminders of the deceased (not just painful ones)?

Assessment

Based on the above, which type of grief do you think you're seeing?

What does this mean for how you should support them?

Do you think professional help is needed? Why or why not?

Significance Inventory

What did the deceased person's life mean to the griever? Not what they did ~ what their existence meant.

How is the griever currently holding significance? (e.g., through pain, through ritual, through storytelling, through avoidance of moving on)

Brainstorm: What else could hold the significance without requiring suffering? (scholarship, garden, story, naming, legacy project, annual tradition, letter, donation, art)

When was the last time someone said the deceased person's name out loud ~ not in the context of the death, but in the context of their life?

Is the griever ready to explore a new container, or do they still need the pain as proof? (Both are valid. Your job is to know which one you're looking at.)