Kubler-Ross's Five Stage Model Of Grieving

Mindfulness is an ancient and essential concept in Buddhism, which can be traced back to as early as 2,500 years ago (Siegel, Germer, & Olendzki, 2009). Being translated from the language Pali (a language which was used to record the original teachings of the Buddha), it connotes three major ideas: awareness, attention and remembering (Siegel et al., 2009). Simply being aware of the current situation and things around us can be very powerful. Once reaching the awareness stage, our attentions can be shifted from preoccupied thoughts and emotions to effective actions. Lastly, remembering implies the importance of constant remembering to be aware, thus mindfulness can be implemented into aspects of our life.
Despite being an ancient concept,
According to Bonanno (2001, p.496), Grief work is “a period of working through the thoughts, memories, and emotions associated with the lost relationship...”. Being the foremost pioneer who proposed the grieving stages, Kubler-Ross’s (1969) five stage model, including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, was once dominate grief counseling field. Despite the fact that many practitioners still use this old model, many new theoretical models of grief have entered the field to provide diverse approaches for different clients. Currently, the most prevalent models are: (1) Attachment Theory, which help to conceptualize clients’ different reactions to bereavement (Stroebe, 2002); (2) Dual Process Model, which identifies two types of stressors to bereavement (Parkes, 2002); (3) Constructivism, which emphasizes the reconstruction process of one’s perceptive world during bereavement (Rosenblatt, 2001); (4) Adaptive Grieving Styles, which reflects an individual’s distinctive use of various strategies to adapt to loss (Martin & Doka, 2000). Besides all the theoretical guidances, recognizing each client’s unique cultural background and its implications to treatment is also crucial during grief counseling. Nowadays, counselors should be sensitive to individual’s cultural expectations of death and grief, and even the distinct mourning rituals in the community, in order to support the client effectively (Doughty, Wissel, & Glorfield,