Coping With Grief and Loss

Week 8: Coping With Grief and Loss
If you visit the National Archives, you can view the names of thousands of brave men and women who gave their lives for their country. Many names are forever engraved into monuments and in the hearts of families everywhere.

With military service comes the increased risk of experiencing grief and loss. It can come in all forms from traumatic to ambiguous loss. This week, you examine how military families cope with grief and loss.

Learning Objectives
Students will:
Identify loss related to military families
Identify coping strategies related to grief and loss
Learning Resources
Required Readings
DeCarvalho, L. T., & Whealin, J. A. (2012). Healing stress in military families: Eight steps to wellness. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Step 6, “Process” (pp. 85–102)
Cohen, O., & Katz, M. (2015). Grief and growth of bereaved siblings as related to attachment style and flexibility. Death Studies, 39(1-5), 158-164.
Kristensen, P., Weisaeth, L., & Heir, T. (2012). Bereavement and mental health after sudden and violent losses: A review. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 75(1), 76-97.
Holmes, Allison K.; Rauch, Paula K.; Cozza, Stephen J.(2013). When a parent is injured or killed in combat. Future of Children, 23(2), 143-162.
Required Media
Laureate Education (Producer). (2014d). Coping with grief and loss [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 1 minutes.

Accessible player –Downloads–Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload Transcript
Discussion 1: Coping With Grief and Loss
In film, there are many depictions of war, loss, and grief, but it in no way can it encapsulate every aspect of loss. Military families are susceptible to loss and multiple losses at that (e.g., loss of a limb, loved one, or a relationship). Therefore, helping professionals need to understand the types and depths of losses military families can experience. In addition, they need to understand how to approach military families who are grieving.

Grief is the response to loss and it can be very intense and very painful; the more significant the loss the greater the grief. Smaller losses also can lead to grief, such as moving or retiring. Military families also can experience ambiguous loss, such as a family member who is missing in action.

For this Discussion, think for a moment about all the changes, experiences, and losses a military family may experience in military life. As a helping professional, consider what you should know about losses for military families and how you can best support them through the lens of your specialization.

By Day 3
Post a description of a type of loss specific to military families. Explain what you might need to consider in dealing with a military spouse or family members dealing with this type of loss. Provide one coping strategy you might recommend to deal with this type of loss. Cite a scholarly resource to support your response.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.

By Day 5
Respond to two or more colleagues with your insights to any aspect of their posts.

Return to this Discussion to read the responses to your initial post. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.