Case Study Jerry's Grief

Addressing the behaviors and ideas surrounding Jerry's grief and the grief of his family could be best handled by helping them to find a new "rational" meaning to their lives. the void of Jerry's sibling, Jamie has him in fear of losing loved ones and as he has stated, sometimes causes him to worry to the point of being very uncomfortable which he does not want to do. Jerry mentions in the video clip "A family disrupted: dealing with the death of a sibling" that he knows he needs to move on and live life not in fear because his brother would want that. Cognitive behavioral therapy may help Jerry and his mother to dispute irrational thoughts that continuing to live life by being active is a risk of death and re rationalize the idea that death
290). Applying the ABC model when working with someone who is grieving a loss would work to create a distinction between healthy reactions to loss and prolonged dysfunctional grief. This model emphasizes the centrality of cognitive processes in understanding emotional disturbance following an adverse event (Malkinson, 2010). With this, Jerry may be able to identify the difference between healthy and unhealthy reactions to the loss of his brother. It is human nature to think irrationally and this is said to "reach a peak" following an event such as death, simply due to the natural instinct to believe that "the loss should not happen to me" or simply because the loss is so painful that a person cannot rationally cope with it (Malkinson, 2010). The goal of CBT is to change thought patterns and the beliefs one holds (consciously or unconsciously), personal attitudes, and behaviors to help more effectively cope with
In the case of Jerry's loss of his brother, he verbalized that he has made a scrapbook of his brother containing pictures and words to remind him of his brother. This is a good way to remember the memory of his brother. Jerry is practicing exposure by reminding himself through visual imagery of his brother and the good times that they shared. It should be encouraged to Jerry that when he finds himself fearful of doing activities out of concern for possible death or even just fear that his mom will be upset, he should dispute the idea that "doing things" will automatically result in his death. Jerry should be encouraged to dispute irrational or faulty thinking when questioning his inability to carry on if anymore of his family passes away. He could utilize the very experience of the loss of his brother as an example that he can cope and to be reminded that feelings of pain and sorrow are a normal response to the loss of a loved one. Journaling may be a good activity to help express feelings of grief and relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises or muscle relaxation may help with reducing painful feelings, fear, depression and