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Edited on Wed Jun-30-10 08:14 PM by foxfeet
In my experience, most people are unable to benefit from treatment in the weeks immediately following the death-- this is true of any circumstance involving sudden and unexpected death. The shock often provides a (necessary) shield of numbness, but that same numbness interferes with the person's ability to process feeling. Any modality (individual, group, family) is useful, although obviously not every person finds all modalities equally helpful or effective. Differing modalities may be used at different times depending upon the needs of the client. Group therapy is often very helpful as it enables survivors to come to grips with the fact that they are not alone in their grief. It is important for each survivor to tell his/her story, over and over as necessary, as one way to process events and feelings. Guilt is often a prominent feature of grief surrounding sudden death (not that it isn't when death is expected). Just FYI, I am a social worker (MSW) with many years' experience as a mental health professional.
EDIT: Punctuation.
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