A Short-Term Grief and Loss Therapy Group: Group Members' Experiences.

Abstract This article is an evaluative study of a short-term grief and loss therapy group conducted at a large Midwestern university's counseling center. The group was held for students who had experienced loss through death of a significant person. The author examines brief group psychotherapy, special considerations of the college student's grief experience, an adaptation of the brief group model for grieving students, and data gathered from the members of the therapy group. Students' scores on a grief instrument showed mixed results. Group members made journal entries at four times during the group experience. They reported that the group was a supportive and helpful experience; five of Yalom's (1995) eleven therapeutic factors could be discerned. Recommendations regarding the treatment of grieving students in a group setting are made.