Post‐Suicide Grief Work In Family Therapy

The following case report describes the treatment of a family following the death by suicide of its principle male figure. It describes the way the various family members were helped to deal with the unresolved grief reaction that had come to play a destructive role in the life of this bereaved family. Working with the family group allowed a direct observation of the mourning processes of the various family members. In particular, we could see the attempt of the identified child patient at keeping the memory of the lost object alive become an obstacle to a natural resolution of her mother's mourning at that same loss.