Death Education and Attitudes of Counselors‐in‐Training Toward Death: An Exploratory Study

This study reviewed how attitudes of counselors‐in‐training toward death develop after completing a course on death education. Participants included 11 graduate counseling students enrolled in a 2‐credit‐hour course addressing death and dying, and grief and loss. Qualitative results from a content analysis of free‐response narratives suggest the emergence of 3 themes: openness to examining death and death constructs; increased understanding of death; and reduced negative emotional state, namely, fear of death. Implications of the findings for counselor education and limitations of the study are discussed.