Layers of Grief: Counseling the Seropositive Gay Male

Seropositive gay men experience multiple losses in their lives resulting in layers of grief. Models of grief were not developed for people experiencing multiple losses therefore lack the capacity to help crisis workers with this population. Counseling strategies developed specifically for seropostive gay men also may not be adequate because are not crisis oriented. This paper suggests the use of the Tirage assessment Form as a means of assessing the multiple losses experienced by this population. Used in conjunction with models of grief and counseling approaches for seropositive gay men, the Triage Assessment Form helps crisis workers identify and monitor the layers of grief experienced by this population.