Trial of Family Focused Grief Therapy in Palliative Care and Bereavement

6 Sessions of Family Focused Group Therapy (FFGT). The FFGT intervention will have assessment, focused therapy, consolidation, and termination phases. The first two sessions are assessment sessions and occur one week apart. There will be two or six focused intervention sessions depending on the predetermined length of therapy. The first focused intervention session is approximately two weeks after the last assessment session. Subsequent focused intervention sessions are expected to follow once every month. Finally, there will be two consolidation/termination sessions, which will occur one time each, approximately two months apart. The six session program is expected to extend over a period of 6 months and the 10 session program over 10 months.

10 Sessions of Family Focused Group Therapy (FFGT). The FFGT intervention will have assessment, focused therapy, consolidation, and termination phases. The first two sessions are assessment sessions and occur one week apart. There will be two or six focused intervention sessions depending on the predetermined length of therapy. The first focused intervention session is approximately two weeks after the last assessment session. Subsequent focused intervention sessions are expected to follow once every month. Finally, there will be two consolidation/termination sessions, which will occur one time each, approximately two months apart. The six session program is expected to extend over a period of 6 months and the 10 session program over 10 months

Standard of Care Families assigned to the Usual Care Condition will receive standard psychosocial care which is based on the following patterns: Social work consultations are routinely provided to the cancer patients, but relatives are only seen during admissions or upon request.