Deck 11: Dynamics of Loss

Question 1

What aspect of the human condition is universally considered to be the most painful form of loss?

A) leaving your parents' as an emerging young adult
B) absence or loss of a beloved partner
C) losing a career in which you have invested much time and energy
D) your children leaving home as young adults

Answer 1

B

Question 2

How are happiness and friend connected?

A) Happiness and grief are exact opposites.
B) Feeling happiness or grief are each emotionally distinctive experiences.
C) Happiness and grief are interconnected in that you cannot experience one without having experienced the other.
D) Joy or happiness and grief are simple emotional experiences.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What aspect of constructivist psychotherapy distinguishes it from other therapy models?

A) the emphasis on creating contextual meaning for clients in their world
B) encouraging clients to express their emotions to help them let go of grief
C) the emphasis on setting boundaries to protect clients from intrusive family members.
D) the focus on rewarding desired behaviors

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following scenarios exemplifies the dual process of mourning?

A) Maureen has been unable to lift herself from her grief after the death of her child over a year ago and remains housebound and physically ill much of the time.
B) Damon has brushed aside sad feelings since his partner left him and invests his energies in his career, seeking promotions and accolades from his colleagues.
C) Charlotte has allowed herself time to grieve and has begun to reconnect with friends since the death of her mother.
D) Bernard began dating a month after his wife died in a car accident and tells his concerned friends that he is doing fine.

Question 5

What is therapeutically best for individuals who are grieving, according to the text?

A) to be prescribed medication to help them cope with tasks of daily life
B) to be protected from exposure to reminders of the loss
C) to avoid spending time alone
D) to seek to understand their grief and process their emotions related to the loss

Question 6

Which of the following statements is true, regarding how constructivist psychotherapy views a client's story about their loss?

A) Assisting clients to face the truths and facts is the goal of therapy.
B) The validity of their story is not as important as the client's subjective perceptions about the loss.
C) This is why family members are involved from the beginning of the therapy.
D) Determining the reality of one's loss is critical to the successful resolution of the client's therapy.

Question 7

Which of these incidents is most likely to result in the family members experiencing an ambiguous loss?

A) A previously unsolved murder case of a family member is solved with DNA analysis.
B) An abducted child is identified and located by recognition from a picture posted.
C) A family member is murdered and they are unable to have an open casket funeral.
D) A Vietnam soldier remains missing in action (MIA).

Question 8

How does the process of restorying help clients resolve the pain and grief from loss?

A) Being able to reframe their story helps clients find meaning and engenders hope.
B) Clients learn adaptive behaviors.
C) Clients learn problem solving strategies.
D) Clients are given an opportunity to delve into past trauma.

Question 9

What is an example of ambiguous loss in which a family member is psychologically absent?

A) Theresa has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and has difficulty interacting with her grandchildren for whom she had previously provided childcare.
B) Matthew is paralyzed from waist down and is in a rehabilitation facility for two months.
C) Mike lives with his wife and 3 children after being in a drug treatment program for a month.
D) Rudy has been traveling to Asian countries and has not stayed in contact with his family.

Question 10

Grace is 95 years old and most of her friends and many family members have died. Sudnow (1967) would say that she is experiencing ______ death.

A) psychological
B) biological
C) social
D) physiological

Question 11

Michael White and David Epston were proponents of ______ therapy, which is widely used with individuals and families who have experienced traumatic loss.

A) cognitive behavioral
B) narrative
C) constructivist
D) behavioral

Question 12

What is common experience of family members who have little information about the death of a loved one?

A) relief that they don't know what happened
B) freedom from feeling responsible for the death
C) guilt with questions about what they could have done to prevent the death
D) ease in navigating the stages of grief

Question 13

By emphasizing context, narrative therapy accommodates the perspectives of which individuals?

A) each person in these contexts, including children
B) the parents
C) the eldest family member
D) the counselor

Question 14

What are the stages of Worden's task model of bereavement?

A) telling the story of loss, being empathically listened to, and gaining new perspectives
B) denial, bargaining, and acceptance
C) feeling numb, yearning, and recovery
D) accepting reality of loss, processing the pain of grief, and remembering the deceased while embarking on one's life

Question 15

Bowlby studied the impact of trauma and the aftereffects of an individual's bereavement and abandonment on ______.

A) recovery patterns
B) problem solving
C) future attachment patterns
D) cognitive development

Question 16

Which of these client statements is an example of externalizing a problem?

A) "Depressive feelings sometimes descend upon me."
B) "I am a depressive person."
C) "Sadness has always been a part of my life."
D) "I see myself as a despondent person."

Question 17

Ideally, when counselors assist clients to positively enhance their stories, the clients become ______.

A) frustrated with the process
B) empowered to affirm themselves
C) dependent upon the counselor
D) entrenched in their grief

Question 18

What is Victor Frankl most well-known for?

A) the book Man's Search for Meaning
B) the book On Death and Dying
C) the report to the World Health Organization, Maternal care and Mental Health
D) the four task model of mourning

Question 19

How do mental health professionals typically present the stage and task models of grief and bereavement to their clients?

A) as a linear progression as the individuals or families move progressively from one stage or task to the next
B) as a literal approach to understanding grief and bereavement with full recovery in the last stage or task
C) a way to understand grief without expectation of their clients and families experiencing all these stages or tasks or occurring in sequence
D) as the best method for their clients and families to cope with grief and loss

Question 20

How may a family with an open system cope with the death of an immediate family member?

A) They do not accept the changes to the family system resulting from the death of a family member.
B) The family members can accept support from friends, extended family, and community programs in helping them find their unique coping strategies.
C) They continue with the same rules and roles held before the death of their family member.
D) They limit communication to that which is necessary for daily activities.

Question 21

Constructive psychotherapy is based primarily on psychodynamic and psychoanalytic models with a focus on past traumatic experiences.

Question 22

No matter how healthy a family is, there inevitably is ambiguity and confusion as family members go through the grieving process.

Question 23

Storytelling is a universal way of helping both the story teller and the listener feel relief and find acceptance with painful experiences.

Question 24

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' five stage grief model thoroughly captures the emotional intensity, complexity, and the confusion that a person experiences in dealing with grief and loss.

Question 25

Describe the benefits of storytelling or narrative therapy that you would find most helpful for you in providing grief support.