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ERI Scholar of the Month
DR. KELLY KING
Dr. Kelly King is an Assistant Professor in the Professional Clinical Counseling Program at California State University, Sacramento, where she also serves as the Counseling Clinic Coordinator. She is a licensed, practicing counselor and credentialed clinical supervisor. Her research agenda focuses on culturally responsive counseling skills and counselor development, as well as grief and loss in the context of incarceration.
WHAT'S THE TOPIC OF YOUR PRESENTATION?
My presentation focuses on the development and initial validation of the Non-Death Loss Grief Scale (NDLGS), a new measure designed to assess grief associated with losses other than death. The scale captures dimensions of non-death loss grief related to loss orientation, restoration orientation, and experiences of invalidation from oneself and others.
WHY IS THIS TOPIC IMPORTANT?
Although our understanding of grief has expanded beyond bereavement, existing measures continue to focus primarily on death-related loss. The NDLGS provides counselors and researchers with a tool for more accurately assessing non-death loss grief, with implications for case conceptualization, treatment planning, and research on experiences that may otherwise go unrecognized or be invalidated.
HOW DOES THIS WORK FIT WITHIN YOUR BROADER RESEARCH PROGRAM AND/OR WORK AS FACULTY MEMBER?
This work contributes to my broader research on grief and loss and my interest in improving how counselors understand and respond to diverse experiences of loss. As a counselor educator, it also supports my work preparing counselors to recognize experiences that may not fit traditional conceptualizations of grief and to approach assessment and intervention with more nuance.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE AUDIENCE WILL TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR PRESENTATION?
I hope the audience leaves with an understanding of the dual process model of grief and its relevance for healing from non-death losses. I also aim to increase awareness of the unique features of non-death loss, including invalidation, and how recognizing these features can support more responsive assessment and intervention.
LINK TO A RECENT ARTICLE, PROJECT, OR OTHER SCHOLARLY-RELATED WORK:
