Grief · Assessment
Worden's Four Tasks of Grieving
Grief as work, not stages
Worden's four tasks reframe grief as work rather than stages. You do not move through them once — you cycle. Locate where the work is loudest right now.
The four tasks
- Accept the reality of the loss (not just intellectually — in the body)
- Process the pain of grief (feel what's there without editing)
- Adjust to a world without the person (roles, routines, identity)
- Find an enduring connection while embarking on a new life
Which task is loudest right now — and what would working on it look like this week
Tasks, not stages
You cycle back through every task at anniversaries, milestones, and transitions. That's not regression — that's grief working.