Attachment-Informed Grief Therapy

Phyllis S. Kosminsky is a clinical social worker specializing in work with the bereaved, particularly those who have experienced a traumatic loss. Over the past 30 years, Dr Kosminsky has provided bereavement counseling to individuals, conducted grief support groups, and provided trainings for mental health professionals in the treatment of normal and problematic grief. Her publications include journal articles, book chapters, and the book Getting Back to Life When Grief Won't Heal. John R. Jordan is a retired psychologist in private practice in Rhode Island, where he specialized in work with survivors of suicide and other traumatic losses for almost 40 years. He was the clinical consultant for Grief Support Services of the Samaritans in Boston, Massachusetts, and the professional advisor to the Loss and Bereavement Council of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. He has published over 45 articles, chapters, and full books, including Grief After Suicide: Coping with Consequences and Caring for the Survivors and After Suicide Loss: Coping with Your Grief.

Introduction Part One: An Introduction to Attachment Theory and Research 1. Foundational Concepts in Attachment Theory 2. Building on the Foundation: The Second Wave of Attachment Theory and Research 3. Attachment Theory and Neuroscience: Understanding the Impact of Early Experience and the Nature of Change Part Two: Bereavement through the Lens of Attachment: Advances in Research, Theory and Practice 4. Insecure Attachment and Problematic Grief: Contemporary Models and Their Implications for Practice 5. The Impact of the Relationship with the Deceased 6. Trauma and the Mode of Death Part Three: Clinical Implications: Toward Attachment-Informed Grief Therapy 7. A Model of Attachment-Informed Grief Therapy 8. The Therapeutic Relationship: Core Capacities of the Attachment-Informed Grief Therapist 9. Strengthening Self-Capacities 10. Meaning Making in Adaptation to Loss 11. Conclusions