How MFTs Can Support Transnationals Through Their Grief Process

Transnationalism

Immigration is a significant life change that can bring about various emotional challenges, including grief and loss (Falicov, 2019). It can also complicate the grief process when a loss occurs post-immigration (Falicov, 2019). As a result, marriage and family therapists (MFTs) can play a critical role in helping immigrants navigate these emotional challenges. MFTs are uniquely qualified to treat grief and loss with transnational clients as their systemic perspective helps them consider the multiple factors that influence immigrants’ experiences of grief, including cultural background, family dynamics, and socio-economic status. When MFTs adopt a comprehensive and holistic approach, they can provide support to transnationals in processing their grief and adjusting to their new life in a foreign country.

The process of transnationalism, which involves traversing geographical, political, and cultural borders, is a delicate acculturation process that is common for many transnationals who make the United States their home (Falicov, 2019). Many transnationals experience significant trauma and loss, such as losing loved ones due to war or political turmoil, and may face difficulties accessing mental healthcare that is culturally sensitive and competent (Nesteruk, 2018). To address this issue, it is crucial to adopt a comprehensive and systemic approach to serving multicultural grief therapy clients in the field of marriage and family therapy.

The death system

The death system, as conceptualized by Kastenbaum and Costa (1977), is an important aspect to consider in providing multicultural grief therapy because it provides a systemic framework for understanding the complex ways that individuals and their communities relate to death and dying. This includes how they conceptualize death, cope with loss, and make sense of their grief. By understanding the cultural norms and beliefs that shape an individual’s experience of death, grief therapists can provide more effective support and guidance to clients from diverse backgrounds (Kastenbaum, 2001).

These individuals may have unique experiences with death and bereavement that are shaped by their cultural backgrounds and experiences of migration. By understanding how the death system operates in their home country, as well as the cultural norms and beliefs surrounding death and bereavement in their host country, grief therapists can provide more nuanced and culturally sensitive support to these individuals. With this in mind, death rituals include five elements: “significant symbols, gathered community, ritual action, the connection of heritage, and transition of the corpse” (Roberson et al., 2018, p. 23). MFTs can show culturally sensitive support in grief therapy to transnationals oriented in different

1. Understanding the traditional rituals and customs surrounding death and bereavement in the client’s home country, such as funerals, mourning periods, and offerings to the deceased, can help therapists to better understand the client’s unique cultural perspective on death.
2. Being aware of the client’s religious or spiritual beliefs and practices surrounding death can also inform the therapist’s approach to grief therapy. For example, a therapist working with a Muslim client may need to be familiar with Islamic funeral practices and beliefs about the afterlife.
3. Recognizing the impact of migration and acculturation on the client’s grieving process can also be important. Immigrants and refugees may face additional stressors and challenges in their bereavement, such as language barriers, social isolation, and discrimination, which can impact their ability to grieve and seek support.

Understanding the different sociological functions of the death system can also help therapists to provide support to clients at different stages of the grieving process. For instance, some cultures place a high value on rituals and ceremonies in disposing of the dead, while others may not have specific rituals. Recognizing and respecting these cultural differences can help therapists to tailor their approach to better support clients who are struggling with the practicalities of arranging a funeral or burial. Similarly, in recognizing the role of the death system in making sense of death, systemic therapists can help clients find meaning and purpose in their grief.

Multicultural gender roles

Gender roles are an important factor to consider in multicultural grief therapy with transnationals, as they can significantly influence the way individuals experience and express grief. Traditional gender expectations and value systems that are passed down through cultural practices, spiritual beliefs, and racial-cultural communities can shape how individuals understand and cope with loss. Multicultural gender roles also play an important role in multicultural grief therapy, as they entail creating a therapeutic environment that addresses gender expectations and value systems passed down from generation to generation in cultural practices, spiritual beliefs, and racial-cultural communities (Miville, 2013). The establishment of gender roles involves unique cultural values, traditional notions of masculinity and femininity shared across cultural groups, socializing agents and institutions, and racial-ethnic and gender stereotypes (Miville, 2013). This involves recognizing and understanding the potential ways that gender could influence the grief process, including differences in the ways that men and women express emotions and the role of gender in caregiving and support. Here are some examples of stereotypes and how to address them with transnationals in grief therapy:

1. Racial-ethnic stereotypes: One common racial-ethnic stereotype is that Asian people are good at math and science. This stereotype can be harmful because it can create pressure on Asian students to excel in these subjects, and can lead to discrimination against Asian people who do not fit this stereotype. In therapy, a therapist can work to challenge this stereotype by encouraging clients to explore their individual strengths and interests, rather than conforming to cultural expectations. Therapists can also help clients understand the harmful effects of stereotypes and develop strategies for coping with discrimination and bias.
2. Gender stereotypes: Gender stereotypes can take many forms, but one common stereotype is that men should be tough and unemotional, while women should be nurturing and emotional. This stereotype can be harmful because it can create pressure on men to suppress their emotions and on women to prioritize caregiving over their own needs and interests. In therapy, a therapist can help clients challenge these gender roles by exploring their individual experiences and values, and by encouraging them to express their emotions in healthy ways. Therapists can also work to help clients understand how gender roles can be limiting and harmful, and support them in developing more authentic and fulfilling ways of being.
3. Intersectional stereotypes: It is important to recognize that individuals may experience multiple forms of stereotypes and discrimination based on their intersecting identities, such as race/ethnicity and gender. For example, Black women may face stereotypes that they are aggressive or angry, while Asian women may face stereotypes that they are submissive or exotic. A therapist can help clients navigate these intersectional stereotypes by acknowledging and validating their experiences, and by exploring how multiple forms of discrimination may be affecting their mental health and well-being. Therapists can also work to challenge stereotypes and promote greater understanding and acceptance of diverse identities and experiences (Pedersen et al., 2015).

MFTs can play a critical role in addressing racial-ethnic and gender stereotypes in the therapy room by creating a safe and supportive environment for clients to explore their experiences and identities, and by challenging harmful stereotypes and promoting greater awareness and understanding of diversity and inclusion.

Death rituals

Death rituals, which are distinctly different from the death system, are another integral aspect of measuring the bereavement experiences of transnationals. These death-related rituals, or ceremonies, directly involve at least one person and the symbols of the loss, and usually directly involve others, including gathered community, ritual action, the connection of heritage, and the transition of the corpse (Reeves, 2011; Roberson et al., 2018). To provide culturally sensitive and competent grief therapy, therapists need to be aware of the various complexities of the grief process, including the multitude of cultural variances in death rituals. To really highlight the value of a systemic approach, it is essential for therapists to offer several practical methods of intervention that can be used in session almost immediately. Strengthening recommendations that align with cultural humility is also crucial, as therapists need to approach each client with an attitude of openness, respect, and curiosity, and be willing to learn and grow from the experiences of their clients.

Multidimensional Ecosystemic Comparative Approach

Finally, in addition to the interventions outlined above, therapists can also draw from the Multidimensional Ecosystemic Comparative Approach (MECA) created by Celia Falicov, which is a culturally sensitive and integrative approach that combines different therapeutic modalities to meet the unique needs of clients from diverse cultural backgrounds (Falicov, 2018). MECA can be particularly useful in addressing the complex and intersectional nature of grief in transnational and multicultural contexts (Falicov, 2018). MECA techniques may include exploring the client’s cultural and family background, as well as their migration history and experiences of acculturation and assimilation (Falicov, 2018). Therapists can also use genograms and other visual tools to help clients explore their family dynamics and intergenerational patterns of grief and loss. Additionally, MECA emphasizes the importance of collaboration and transparency, as therapists work with clients to co-create a treatment plan that is tailored to their specific needs and cultural values (Falicov, 2018). By incorporating MECA techniques and principles into their practice, therapists can enhance their ability to provide effective and culturally sensitive grief therapy to transnationals and other clients from diverse backgrounds.

Transforming the transnational grief space into a healing one

 Culturally sensitive grief therapy can be a very transformative tool of healing for diverse clients when it is provided from an inclusive perspective. MFTs can provide a safe space for transnationals in grief therapy by consistently acknowledging ways to address death systems, death rituals, multicultural gender roles, as well as the Multidimensional Ecosystemic Comparative Approach as a culturally sensitive and integrative approach in the practice of grief therapy. Expanding the scope of grief therapy services to reflect multicultural ideals and fostering multicultural collaborative networks can help MFTs make a positive change in the field and help their diverse clients heal.

Multicultural gender roles also play an important role in multicultural grief therapy, as they entail creating a therapeutic environment that addresses gender expectations and value systems passed down through generations