Grief and loss
Mapping Disenfranchised Grief
This tool helps a client identify and validate significant losses that are not typically.
Some clients carry a grief that has no name. It may stem from a loss society doesn’t formally recognize: the end of an important friendship, a career path cut short, or the slow decline of a loved one’s cognitive function. Without social validation or rituals, the client is often left feeling that their distress is illegitimate, which complicates the entire grieving process.
This directive provides a structure for identifying and cataloging these ambiguous losses, bringing them into the open for therapeutic work. It separates the experience of loss from the social expectation of what ‘counts’ as grief. The client gains the language to articulate their experience and the clarity that their feelings are valid.
Mapping Disenfranchised Grief
Review the list of life events below. These are losses that often go unacknowledged by others. For each item you have experienced, check the box. In the next column, rate the personal impact of this loss on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is minimal impact and 5 is severe impact. In the final column, indicate whether this loss was openly recognized by others with a Y (Yes) or N (No).
| Loss | Experienced (✓) | Impact (1-5) | Recognized by Others (Y/N) |
|---|---|---|---|
| End of a friendship | |||
| Breakup of a non-marital relationship | |||
| Estrangement from a family member | |||
| Loss of a pet | |||
| A job loss or significant career change | |||
| A significant financial loss | |||
| Moving from a home or community | |||
| A miscarriage or stillbirth | |||
| An abortion | |||
| An infertility diagnosis | |||
| Giving a child up for adoption | |||
| A chronic illness diagnosis (self or other) | |||
| Loss of a physical or cognitive ability | |||
| A loved one’s addiction or mental illness | |||
| A loved one’s dementia or cognitive decline | |||
| Loss of a dream or life plan | |||
| Loss of faith or a belief system | |||
| Retirement | |||
| A change in social status | |||
| The death of an ex-partner or estranged relative | |||
| Other loss not listed: | |||
| Other loss not listed: | |||
| Other loss not listed: |
Generated with Rapport7 — rapport7.com