How a practitioner relates to and supports a person seeking counseling is dependent to a large degree on their world-view and theoretical orientation. The practitioner holds a position of considerable power and influence and has a responsibility for the direction and the method of this influence. (Ivey et al.,1987). An important aspect of that responsibility is a self-awareness of professional and personal limits. Worden (1991) sees a lack of self-awareness as an impediment to meaningful and helpful interventions. Conforming to one particular theoretical orientation may not benefit the client and may hinder or alienate the practitioner from being able to work collaboratively with other professionals in the best interests of the client.
The task then is to have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of different theoretical positions and be flexible in the use of these skills and knowledge.
New theoretical perspectives and models along with knowledge from scientific studies have evolved and developed from the traditional major psychological models of mourning. As a result the practitioner’s ability to working with and support clients experiencing situations of loss is enhanced.
Bowlby’s Attachment theory (1961) was the first model to define the mourning process in stages. He theorized that humans make strong affectional bonds with others and experience strong emotional reactions when those bonds are threatened or broken. (Worden, J.W.) In contrast to Freud’s viewpoint he introduced the importance of interpersonal perspective with respect to mourning.
While phasic models of mourning focused on the individual’s progression through stages to ultimate “recovery” more recent integration theories view mourning as an evolving process where the aim is not to return to the pre-loss state but rather survive the loss, come to terms with changes and integrate oneself into new social context or identity. Miller & Omarzu (1998)
Example Essays Home
