Name
Addressing Grief: Screening and Brief Interventions for Integrated Primary Care
Description

Patients of all ages frequently bring grief-related concerns to primary care, but many clinicians struggle to assess these concerns within the limited time frame of integrated visits. This session will review practical screening tools that help distinguish prolonged grief disorder, depression, PTSD following traumatic loss, and non-clinical grief responses in adolescents and adults. Presenters will also walk through brief strategies for standard 30-minute behavioral health consultations to help patients stabilize, cope, and stay connected to care. Common challenges—such as cultural considerations, time pressures, and questions about when to refer—will be discussed with an emphasis on realistic, everyday application. The session is designed to be interactive, giving participants space to reflect on their own clinical experiences and strengthen their confidence in addressing grief in primary care.

Speakers
Arielle Guillod, PhD
Ann Steffen, PhD, ABPP
Content Level
Intermediate
Tags
Patient-centered care or Patient perspectives, Primary Care Behavioral Health Model, Workforce development
Session Type
Concurrent
Objective 1
Describe methods for screening and differentiating among non-clinical grief reactions, depression, PTSD, and DSM-5-TR Prolonged Grief Disorder
Objective 2
Explain brief strategies for standard 30-minute behavioral health consultations to help bereaved patients stabilize, cope, and stay connected to care
Objective 3
Create plans to address common challenges in addressing grief reactions in primary care
Content Reference 1

Gerber, K., Hjorth, L., Bryant, C., Lock, K., Chong, T. W. H., Engel, L., Hills, D., Loi, S. M, White, P., Shimoinaba, K., & Brijnath, B. (2024). Primary care consultations for grief in older people – a missed opportunity for mental health support. Clinical Gerontologist: The Journal of Aging and Mental Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2024.2321341

Content Reference 2

Fagundes, C. P., & Wu, E. L. (2020). Matters of the heart: Grief, morbidity, and mortality. Current directions in psychological science, 29(3), 235–241. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420917698

Content Reference 3

Guillod, A. I., Band, A. E., & Steffen, A. M. (2025). Aging-Related Professional Development Interests: Perspectives from Culturally Diverse Psychologists. On Board with Professional Psychology, 7, 1-7.

Content Reference 4

Pearce, C., Wong, G., Kuhn, I., & Barclay, S. (2021). Supporting bereavement and complicated grief in primary care: a realist review. BJGP open, 5(3), BJGPO.2021.0008. https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGPO.2021.0008

Content Reference 5

Laine, A. J., McNeil, E. E., & Steffen, A. M. (2025). Living with loss: Evidence-based strategies with older bereaved clients. Practice Innovations. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pri0000296