Grief, Death, & Dying

Audience: Client 

Diagnosis(es)/Condition(s): Experiencing Grief/Mourning/Processing Death

Age Range/Population: All ages

Purpose: The purpose of the time capsule or memory scrapbook intervention is to support the client in processing and expressing their grief in a structured and meaningful way. By creating a physical or digital memory keepsake, the client will engage in reflective thinking, which encourages emotional regulation, memory organization, and the development of healthy coping mechanisms. This activity will help the client connect with positive memories of their loved one, which can aid in the emotional healing process and foster emotional resilience. Through this intervention, the client will also practice the functional skill of organizing memories and emotions, which is important for enhancing their overall emotional well-being and re-engaging in daily routines. The activity is an opportunity to process, facilitate self-expression, and offer coping strategies to manage grief. This process can be reviewed whenever the client needs reminders of positivity when emotions are dysregulated or recreated to assess different aspects the client would like to discuss and flush out further. The therapist will assist in fostering the skills necessary to support the client’s ability to manage emotions, engage meaningfully with their grief, and ultimately participate more fully in daily life, social interactions, and tasks. Occupational areas such as health management and leisure are the primary focus to be addressed.  

Instructions: This activity can be completed in a few ways depending on the supplies available and the preferences of the client. 

Option 1: The client will use a digital, user-friendly, free platform such as Canva, PowerPoint, or Google Slides and begin to shuffle through symbols, images, words, or any other creative outlet they choose to create a scrapbook. Through screen-sharing capabilities, the therapist can demonstrate how to use the platform and work step-by-step to assemble the project. 

Option 2: The client can use pre-planned supplies within the home, including paper, colored pencils, markers, glue, scissors, paint, and brushes, to create a physical scrapbook while being virtually guided by the therapist. 

The client will be prompted to have a particular focus on their vision such as “favorite memories” within the session to keep the thoughts, ideas, and emotions more manageable to work through. Questions such as “What was something fun you and your loved one loved to do together?” or “What was a silly saying your loved one said that made you smile?” will be asked to help facilitate the thought process and discussion of emotions. Assessing shifts or overloaded emotions is crucial and responding by offering breaks in between or offering an opportunity to talk it out in that moment can be done. Upon completion of the project, discussion of feelings before, during, and after creation will be asked to allow the client to note any changes in feelings after outwardly discussing a sensitive topic. 

Rationale & Impact on Function: The activity will serve as a means of processing and expressing grief, enhancing emotional regulation, and increasing self-awareness of their emotional responses. Through this activity, the client will demonstrate an improved ability to organize their thoughts and emotions related to the loss of their loved one and use the activity as a tool for coping with difficult emotions. By reflecting on memories and emotions related to loved ones and the direct source of the emotional shift, they will develop skills in managing their emotional responses. The activity will require the client to organize and reflect on significant memories, fostering cognitive skills such as memory organization and emotional recall. This process will also promote self-expression through writing, drawing, and reflecting on positive moments with her father, helping to redirect negative feelings of loss while fostering positive emotions. Overall, this intervention will foster engagement in a personally significant task, enhancing a sense of purpose and involvement in the healing process.

Reference(s): ME