The Bear Counseling Collective
Abstract
Family rituals are an important part of every family. They facilitate transitions in a meaningful and in some cases, spiritual way. Using and collaborating with a therapist to create family rituals can e helpful in giving families meaning during tough times (Imber-Black, 2019). One of the toughest times a family can go through is to cope with the death of a loved one through the grieving and morning process. Many families, especially in these times of the pandemic and social distancing, are in need of rituals which help them facilitate the process of healing and moving forward in life when a death in the family occurs. Councilors should take into consideration how culture, ethnicity, and race could impact family rituals while going through the mourning and grieving process. Black communities in America are said to have been the most impacted bye COVID (Walsh, 2020). Knowledge about African American grief, mourning and family rituals could become a useful resource in helping families who were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Death is a universal fact that can happen at any stage in life. Family rituals used in the grieving process can have important applications for family counselors. Counselors should be in collaboration with the specific needs of the family seeking to cultivate ways of healing and processing their grief.
Recommended Citation
Riley, Luke
(2024)
"Family Rituals to Help Families Mourn and Grieve: Implications for Counseling,"
The Bear Counseling Collective: Vol. 1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/bcc/vol1/iss1/3