School Counselors Utilize Motivational Interviewing

School counselors utilize motivational interviewing as a main assessment strategy. Individual counseling can be aided by this approach, small groups can be formed, and referrals can be made for outside resources. Again, it’s important to remember that grief is a very individualized process. Students will react in their own way to the news depending upon several factors, including their age and developmental level, their relationship, if any, with the deceased, their previous experience with death and coping mechanisms used, the support systems available to them, and the modeling of grief responses from those around them (Long, 2015). Of course, not all students will want to talk about the death. For this purpose, informal assessments such as teacher …show more content…
Therefore, all those who work with students, including their families, should also be aware of several symptoms of difficulty with grief, including difficulty focusing or concentrating, failing or declining grades, incomplete or poor quality of work, forgetfulness or memory loss, over achievement, trying to be perfect, language errors and word finding problems, inattentiveness, daydreaming, withdrawal from friends, withdrawal from activities or sports, use of drugs or alcohol, changes in relationships with teachers and peers, changes in family roles, wanting to be physically close to safe adults, inappropriate sexual behavior/acting out, stealing, and shoplifting (Long, 2015). Furthermore, a student might report physical symptoms that could indicate deeper needs, including stomachaches, headaches, heartaches, frequent accidents or injuries, increased requests to visit the nurse, nightmares, dreams or sleep difficulties, loss of appetite or increased eating, low energy, weakness, hives, rashes, itching, nausea or upset stomach, low resistance to colds and flu, and rapid heartbeat (Long,