Grief Therapists

Grief therapy is a relatively new career specialty. It has come into prominence as a result of societal trends and changes. Younger people are dying from accidents, gun violence, drug overdoses, and diseases such as AIDS or cancer. Terrorist attacks, school shooting sprees, and other deadly violence in public places are creating a need for grief therapists to counsel the survivors. In addition, changes in the family unit have affected the way in which family members grieve. Many families are not close, physically or emotionally, resulting in issues of guilt when a family member dies. Other factors that have boosted growth in this field include people's willingness to accept the help of a therapist (something that rarely happened in years past) and the large number of aging baby boomers who are now beginning to experience the deaths of friends and family members and, thus, have a need for grief therapists' services.