| Course | PAC 410 Crisis Intervention and Prevention |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 6 |
| Paper type | Bereavement crisis paper |
| Length | About 1,042 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PAC 410 Module 6
Eight Months in His Room: Distinguishing Prolonged Grief After an Overdose Death and Finding Help That Fits
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
PAC 410: Crisis Intervention and Prevention
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Eight Months in His Room: Distinguishing Prolonged Grief After an Overdose Death and Finding Help That Fits
Patricia called on a Tuesday evening. She was fifty-eight, a school secretary, and her son, Michael, had died of a fentanyl overdose eight months earlier at twenty-six, after three years of trying to stop using. She said she was not sure why she was calling. She spends every evening in his room, sitting on his bed, and sometimes talks to him. She no longer goes to the monthly reading group she joined years ago and avoids friends, because she cannot stand their questions or their silence. She cannot believe he is gone. She blames herself for not seeing the signs the night he died. This paper describes how the counselor at the course's invented crisis service assessed her grief and planned support. Patricia and Michael are composites; the research is real.
Ordinary and Prolonged Grief
Grief after the death of someone close is painful, often intense and, for most people, gradually becomes bearable. Waves of sadness, yearning and difficulty concentrating are expected, particularly in the first months. For a minority of bereaved people, grief remains intense and disabling.
Prigerson et al. (2009) tested criteria for prolonged grief disorder in bereaved people followed over time. They found that a set of symptoms, centered on intense yearning or longing for the person who died, together with symptoms such as difficulty accepting the death, feeling that part of oneself has died, bitterness, avoidance of reminders, numbness, difficulty trusting others and feeling that life is empty, could be reliably identified and distinguished from depression and anxiety. When these symptoms persisted at least six months after the death and caused significant impairment, they predicted later problems such as suicidal thinking and poor health. The criteria became the basis for prolonged grief disorder in later diagnostic manuals.
Who Benefits From Grief Interventions
Currier et al. (2008) conducted a meta-analysis of studies of psychotherapeutic interventions for bereaved people. When interventions were offered to bereaved people in general, they had little effect compared with no intervention, and their benefits were not maintained at follow-up. Interventions for people with significant grief-related difficulties, such as complicated grief, or for those referred because of problems, produced meaningful benefits. The authors concluded that routine grief counseling for everyone who has lost someone is not supported, but that people with substantial difficulties should be identified and offered help.
Complicated Grief Treatment
Shear et al. (2005) compared complicated grief treatment with interpersonal psychotherapy for people with complicated grief. Complicated grief treatment combined elements of interpersonal therapy with techniques adapted from trauma treatment, such as retelling the story of the death and gradually confronting avoided reminders, along with work on restoring a satisfying life and goals. A greater proportion of participants responded to complicated grief treatment than to interpersonal therapy, and they responded faster.
Patricia's Grief Compared With the Criteria
| Criterion area | Patricia's experience | Present? |
|---|---|---|
| Intense yearning for the person | Sits in his room every night; talks to him | Yes |
| Difficulty accepting the death | "I can't believe he's gone" at eight months | Yes |
| Avoidance or preoccupation | Avoids friends' questions; preoccupied with his last night | Yes |
| Bitterness, guilt or meaninglessness | Blames herself; says life feels empty | Yes |
| Duration and impairment | Eight months; withdrew from book club and friends | Yes |
The Stigma of Overdose Loss
The cause of Michael's death shapes Patricia's grief. Families bereaved by overdose often encounter stigma: friends who do not know what to say, relatives who imply the death was deserved or preventable and the family's own shame. Patricia said that at the funeral someone told her Michael "chose this." Such experiences can silence grieving parents and isolate them, and they can intensify guilt. The counselor acknowledged Michael as a son she loved, not a drug user, and named the stigma directly.
Guilt and the Last Night
Patricia returns again and again to the night Michael died. He had come for dinner, seemed tired and left early, and she did not call to check on him. She asks whether she should have known. Guilt is common in grief and especially common after overdose deaths, when parents have spent years watching for signs. The counselor did not argue her out of it, which rarely helps, but reflected how much she had tried to protect him and gently offered information: fentanyl overdoses are often sudden and can happen even when a person has been doing well, and families often cannot see them coming. Complicated grief treatment includes work on exactly this kind of preoccupation, revisiting the story of the death in a way that allows it to be held rather than replayed.
Assessing Suicide Risk
Bereavement, especially the loss of a child, and prolonged grief are associated with increased risk of suicidal thinking. The counselor asked Patricia directly whether she had thought about ending her life. She said she had thought she would like to be with Michael but had no plan and would not do that to her husband and daughter. The counselor noted this as passive ideation, discussed what she would do if it intensified and included the crisis line and 988 in her plan.
The Plan
The counselor referred Patricia to a therapist in the region trained in complicated grief treatment and offered to help with the first call. She also gave her information about a support group for families bereaved by overdose, where the stigma she faced would be understood. They discussed one small step toward reconnection: calling one friend from her book club who had sent a card. Her guilt about not seeing the signs was acknowledged gently, with the reminder that fentanyl overdoses often happen even when families do everything they can. A follow-up call was scheduled for one week later.
Conclusion
Patricia's grief eight months after her son's death met the pattern of prolonged grief, intensified by guilt and by the stigma of overdose. Prigerson and colleagues provide criteria to identify prolonged grief, Currier, Neimeyer and Berman show that interventions help those with significant difficulties rather than all bereaved people and Shear and colleagues show that a specific treatment helps. Assessing her suicide risk, naming the stigma and referring her for targeted treatment and peer support gave Patricia help suited to her grief.
References
Currier, J. M., Neimeyer, R. A., & Berman, J. S. (2008). The effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions for bereaved persons: A comprehensive quantitative review. Psychological Bulletin, 134(5), 648-661. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.134.5.648
Prigerson, H. G., Horowitz, M. J., Jacobs, S. C., Parkes, C. M., Aslan, M., Goodkin, K., Raphael, B., Marwit, S. J., Wortman, C., Neimeyer, R. A., Bonanno, G., Block, S. D., Kissane, D., Boelen, P., Maercker, A., Litz, B. T., Johnson, J. G., First, M. B., & Maciejewski, P. K. (2009). Prolonged grief disorder: Psychometric validation of criteria proposed for DSM-V and ICD-11. PLOS Medicine, 6(8), e1000121. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000121
Shear, K., Frank, E., Houck, P. R., & Reynolds, C. F., III. (2005). Treatment of complicated grief: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 293(21), 2601-2608. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.293.21.2601
What the PAC 410 Module 6 instructions ask for
Bereavement is the sixth module of PAC 410, and assignments usually ask you to assess a grieving person, distinguish ordinary from complicated grief and plan support. Let Aspen's Module 6 page set the requirements; Patricia is invented. Explain what ordinary grief looks like and how prolonged grief differs, using validated criteria. Present evidence on who benefits from grief interventions. Describe a specific treatment for prolonged grief. Address the circumstances of the death, such as overdose, that shape grief. Assess suicide risk, which rises after a loss. Plan support, citing each source in APA 7. Ask about the circumstances of the death before assuming what the loss means. Use the name of the person who died.
How the PAC 410 Module 6 example is put together
Patricia sits in her son Michael's room each night, cannot accept that he is gone and blames herself for not seeing the signs. Prigerson and colleagues' PLOS Medicine study supplies the criteria for prolonged grief disorder. Currier, Neimeyer and Berman's Psychological Bulletin meta-analysis shows that interventions help most when grief is complicated. Shear and colleagues' JAMA trial supports complicated grief treatment. A five-row table compares her experience with the criteria. A section addresses the stigma that silences families after overdose deaths. The plan includes a suicide risk check, a referral for complicated grief treatment, a support group for families bereaved by overdose, one small step toward reconnecting with friends and a follow-up call in a week.
Reading the PAC 410 Module 6 grading rubric
Bereavement papers earn credit for distinguishing ordinary from prolonged grief with criteria, using evidence on who benefits from intervention and addressing the circumstances of the death. This example applies Prigerson and colleagues' criteria item by item rather than labeling Patricia's grief as complicated by impression. It reports Currier and colleagues' finding that routine grief counseling helps little, which justifies targeted referral. Shear and colleagues' trial supports a specific treatment. Attention to overdose stigma shows understanding of how the cause of death shapes grief, and the suicide risk check reflects good practice after a loss. Her guilt is acknowledged without being argued away.
Common PAC 410 Module 6 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Grief papers often treat all grief as a problem to be treated. Most grief is painful but ordinary and resolves with support. Use validated criteria to identify prolonged grief. Report evidence that interventions help most for people with significant difficulties. Describe specific treatments for prolonged grief. Address the circumstances of the death, such as overdose, suicide or violence, which can add stigma and guilt. Assess suicide risk. Respect cultural and religious ways of grieving. Avoid timelines that tell people when they should be over a loss, and use the name of the person who died, as the family does. Offer peer support from people bereaved the same way.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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PAC 410 Module 6 questions, answered
What does PAC 410 Module 6 usually ask for?
Aspen's PAC 410 covers bereavement, grief and loss here, so assessing grief, distinguishing complicated grief and planning support is typical. See your Module 6 prompt.
What is prolonged grief disorder?
A condition validated by Prigerson and colleagues, marked by intense yearning and related symptoms such as difficulty accepting the death, lasting at least six months and impairing functioning.
Does grief counseling help everyone?
Currier, Neimeyer and Berman found grief interventions helped little for bereaved people in general but more for those with significant difficulties.
Where can I find a free PAC 410 Module 6 sample paper?
You can read it here in full: prolonged grief after an overdose death, with a table separating ordinary and prolonged grief and a plan.
What treatment helps complicated grief?
Shear and colleagues found complicated grief treatment produced higher response rates, and faster response, than interpersonal therapy.