Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Education, Counseling
Date of Defense
4-20-2026
Graduate Advisor
Emily Oliveira
Committee
Emily Brown
Yuima Mizutani
Meredith Moore
Abstract
Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) experience frequent and cumulative losses, many of which remain unacknowledged due to stigma, criminalization, and societal blame, resulting in disenfranchised grief. Although addiction counselors are often on the frontlines supporting clients through grief alongside recovery, empirical research exploring how counselors perceive and address disenfranchised grief in clients with SUDs is lacking. Guided by Worden’s (2018) Four Tasks of Mourning and Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT), this qualitative research explored addiction counselors’ perceptions of disenfranchised grief and their approaches to treatment with this population in two studies. The first study asked the research question: How do addiction counselors perceive and make meaning of disenfranchised grief in clients with substance use disorders? Themes identified included: multitude of losses, grief as a risk factor, and barriers to grief processing. The second study asked the research question: How do addiction counselors perceive and implement treatment approaches for addressing disenfranchised grief in clients with substance use disorders? Themes identified included: client readiness for grief processing, creating safety and connection, and holistic integrated approach. Recommendations were provided for clinical practice, counselor education and training, and future research to better support individuals with SUDs through disenfranchised grief.
Recommended Citation
Gazvoda, Abigail, "A Qualitative Exploration of Addiction Counselors’ Perceptions and Treatment of Disenfranchised Grief in Clients with Substance Use Disorders" (2026). Dissertations. 1584.
https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation/1584