Abstract: |
(from the chapter) Understanding bereaved clients' maladaptive schemas can be valuable for a variety of reasons: to help conceptualize their coping responses to the loss, the ways in which they interact with potential sources of social support, the way they view their future, and, as is highlighted above, the way in which they view the lost relationship. Clients often present with harsh, critical assessments of the lost relationship or of their or the deceased's behavior within the context of the relationship. Such judgmental evaluation can lead to feelings of guilt, self-doubt, and anger. This chapter explores that applying the Schema Therapy model to help clients conceptualize why the relationship was selected, maintained, and/or severed can help them make sense of their choices. This, in turn, can enhance their feelings of compassion toward themselves, toward the deceased, and toward the relationship overall. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved). |