Grief and Loss: Therapeutic Nursing Interventions for the NCLEX

Types of Grief

• Normal/uncomplicated: Expected emotional response to loss - sadness, anger, guilt, yearning
• Anticipatory: Grieving before an expected loss (terminal diagnosis)
• Complicated/prolonged: Grief that persists beyond expected timeline and impairs functioning
• Disenfranchised: Grief not openly acknowledged (miscarriage, pet loss, ex-partner)

Kübler-Ross Stages

DABDA: Denial → Anger → Bargaining → Depression → Acceptance. Note: stages are NOT linear and not everyone experiences all stages.

Therapeutic Interventions

• Be present - sometimes sitting silently is the most therapeutic
• Acknowledge the loss: "I'm sorry for your loss"
• Use open-ended questions: "Tell me about your mother"
• Do NOT say: "I know how you feel," "It was God's plan," or "At least they're not suffering"
• Support cultural mourning practices
• Refer to grief counseling or support groups

Review our Grief & Loss deep dive and Psychosocial study guide.