| Grief and loss are universal human experiences, yet counselor education programs lack
standardized, empirically grounded curricula to prepare students for this work (Horn et al.,
2013). Despite counselors experiencing a high likelihood of encountering grieving clients, many
describe feeling underprepared to work with issues of grief and loss (Bellegarde & Chintakunta,
2024). The American Counseling Association recently endorsed 28 Grief Counseling Best
Practices to address competency standards in the field (Blueford et al., 2026; American
Counseling Association, 2025); however, no research has systematically examined how experts
prioritize these practices for curriculum inclusion. My research study utilized Q methodology to
explore expert opinions on grief and loss best practices for curriculum development. Results
were informed by a 28-item Q-sort, participant demographic information, and open-ended
questionnaires. I determined two factor groupings from the information gathered: participants
who valued reflexive awareness and cultural humility as the foundation of grief counseling
competence, and participants who valued adaptive clinical skills and theoretical application to
practice. Results from this study offer practical, data-driven guidance for counselor educators
seeking to prioritize grief and loss content within an already crowded curriculum.
Key words: grief counseling, counselor education, Q methodology, best practices, curriculum
development, grief and loss |