How Do Adolescents Deal with Loss of Grandparents? Rebt-Based Grief Counseling

Grandparents play a significant role in the lives of adolescents who have developed close bonding with them. Loss of such significant person produces sadness and sometimes even grief, depending upon the bonding between the deceased grandparent and the grandchild. Different psychotherapies are suggested to be useful in dealing with this situation. This study aimed at understanding the role of REBT based grief counseling in helping adolescents to deal with such loss. METHOD 38 adolescents participants who approached the counselor due to difficulties in dealing with the death of a grandparent were studied. They were offered grief counseling based on REBT. The level of depression was studied before and after the intervention. RESULTS There was a significant reduction in the level of depression and improvement in the level of subjective feelings of emotional and social well-being. CONCLUSION The study indicates that REBT based grief counseling can be useful in helping adolescents to deal with the loss of grandparents. REBT helps an adolescent to grieve naturally, accept the death of the grandparent and move ahead in life adaptively.