Don't start by paying for grief counseling; first see whether your grief is truly stuck (the symptoms in §29.8)

If you are thinking about suicide right now, call or text 988. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

Cost

Free, and you save a counseling fee.

What you get

61 controlled studies were pooled. Psychological interventions given to bereaved people in general had a small benefit at the end of treatment, and no benefit could be seen when looked at again after some time. Interventions that enrolled only bereaved people who “clearly could not adapt” worked as well as psychotherapy for other psychological problems. Studies that did no screening in advance had poor results, because the group that received no intervention would also have recovered on its own over time. Another 14 randomized trials were pooled: treatment for people who already had a problem was clearly better than controls after treatment and at later follow-up, with the effect even growing after some time. Preventive interventions given to everyone who had not yet developed a problem did not work. One more study followed 205 people from before a spouse's death to 6 and 18 months after. It found five paths: ordinary grief, chronic grief, chronic depression, improvement during bereavement, and resilience (coping well). Of these, the resilient type was the most common and the ordinary grief type relatively uncommon.

Notes

This means “not everyone needs it,” not “no one should do it.” The high-risk bereaved in §29.4 (a loved one died by suicide, an accident or a homicide), and those already stuck in §29.8 (go to psychiatry if grief is stuck), are exactly the people the evidence supports. A review in The Lancet reached the same conclusion: grief is not an illness and most people do not need professional intervention. The effort should go to those at high risk. It should also go to those who already have complicated grief, depression after bereavement and stress disorders.

Evidence grade

A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.

Sources

1. Currier JM, et al. (2008). The effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions for bereaved persons: a comprehensive quantitative review. Psychological Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.134.5.648
2. Wittouck C, et al. (2011). The prevention and treatment of complicated grief: a meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.09.005
3. Bonanno GA, et al. (2002). Resilience to loss and chronic grief: a prospective study from preloss to 18-months postloss. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.83.5.1150
4. Stroebe M 等 (2007). Health outcomes of bereavement. Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61816-9（备注里那份综述）

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 29, tip 9. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer