Why Prospective Bereavement Counseling Is Crucial for Peace-Finding After Loss.

Abstract

Bereavement counseling is often offered as a referral following an adverse event or after identification of lingering grief. This article proposes the value of prospective bereavement counseling when a person can reasonably anticipate loss to support anticipatory grief and facilitate supportive continuous care planning for patients experiencing loss. This article positions bereavement counseling as care aimed at finding peace by offering a framework of dimensions of peace, opportunities to foster peace in clinically important moments, and guiding questions to facilitate this clinical outcome in health care settings.