Which of the following is NOT one of the goals of grief counseling

• A. helping the person deal with their emotional and behavioral pain
• B. helping the person to detach from the deceased in order to develop new relationships
• C. helping the person overcome various impediments to readjustment after the loss
• D. increasing the reality of the loss

Answer: (B)

Grief counseling aims to help a person process the loss and regain functioning after death. It focuses on helping the person acknowledge and manage emotional and behavioral pain, overcome obstacles to readjustment, and confront the reality of the loss so they can move toward acceptance. Encouraging detachment from the deceased in order to form new relationships runs counter to healthy grief work, which supports honoring the person who died while still gradually rebuilding connections and life. Detachment would hinder healing, whereas forming new relationships typically occurs while maintaining a continuing, albeit transformed, bond with the deceased.