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Grief · Anticipatory

Anticipatory Grief Worksheet

Real grief, not premature grief

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Anticipatory grief — mourning the loss before it happens — is real grief, not premature grief. Naming it eases the guilt of feeling it while your person is still here.

Who I'm anticipating losing
What I'm already grieving (their function, presence, plans I had with them)
Guilt that comes up around feeling this now
What I still want to say, do, ask, or make while there's time
What kind of caregiver I want to be through this — and what would break me
One support I'll set up for myself this week

References & further reading

Conceptual background and further reading, not validation of this handout. Named instruments and methods belong to their original authors; custom prompts and trackers are not validated versions of those instruments.

  • Worden, J. W. (2018). Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy (5th ed.). Springer Publishing Company.
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