“How do I grieve the death of my child when there is no body to view?” or “How do I move on if there is a remote possibility that my loved one could be alive?” Navigating the uncertainty and unanswerable questions of a loved one’s vanishing due to kidnapping, catastrophic events, or a natural disaster is psychosocially and spiritually taxing for survivors. This interactive, case-based course discusses physical ambiguous loss and the distinct psychosocial-spiritual impact of a loved one’s “gone, but not for sure” status on person’s well-being in relation to assessment and treatment. Drawing on Boss’ guidelines for resilience, the course utilizes case studies in describing intervention methods and best practices for tolerance strengthening and minimizing anxiety, depression, or rising family conflict. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Discuss physical ambiguous loss from the assessment perspective.

2. Describe the psychosocial-spiritual effect of physical ambiguous loss on survivors’ well-

    being across therapeutic processes.

3. Explain Boss’ distinct resilience building strategies in connection with best practices in 

    treatment. 

4. Analyze and apply the therapeutic methods to practice using case studies.