Complicated Grief Treatment (CGT) for Prolonged Grief Disorder

Complicated grief (CG) also called prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is a recently described syndrome characterized by intense and persistent acute grief with yearning, longing, and sadness; preoccupation with thoughts and memories of the deceased; and complicating thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that impede successful mourning. This chapter describes a novel complicated grief treatment (CGT) that has been evidence-tested in two randomized controlled trials. The treatment targets resolution of grief complications and facilitation of successful mourning and utilizes techniques from prolonged exposure for PTSD, interpersonal psychotherapy for depression, and motivational interviewing. The treatment is delivered in 16 weekly sessions comprising 4 phases: getting started (sessions 1–3), core revisiting sequence (sessions 4–9), midcourse review (session 10), and a closing sequence (sessions 11–16). The chapter describes strategies and techniques used in CGT, illustrates these with a case example, and provides some guidance for implementation challenges and an overview of the research that supports the treatment.