Symposium 49 - Understanding and treating Prolonged Grief Disorder: From individual symptom profiles to system level integration of evidence-based treatment

Chair(s)

• DS

  Daniella Spencer-Laitt, M.A. (she/her/hers)

  Graduate Student
  Boston University
  Boston, MA, United States

Discussant(s)

• DR

  Donald Robinaugh, Ph.D.

  Assistant Professor
  Northeastern University
  Brookline, MA, United States

Presenter(s)

• EM

  Emily Mintz, B.A.

  Ph.D. Student Clinical Psychology
  Hofstra University
  Roslyn, NY, United States
• AR

  Alyssa Rheingold, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

  Professor
  Medical University of South Carolina
  Charleston, SC, United States
• DS

  Daniella Spencer-Laitt, M.A. (she/her/hers)

  Graduate Student
  Boston University
  Boston, MA, United States
• BD

  Barnaby Dunnn, Ph.D.

  Mood
  Exeter, England, United Kingdom

Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is a condition marked by persistent, intense, and functionally impairing grief that extends beyond culturally normative periods of mourning. While PGD shares features with— and is often comorbid with — anxiety, depression, and other trauma-related disorders, it is understood as a distinct clinical phenomenon. Yet many questions remain about the core emotional and behavioral processes that sustain PGD, how specific types of loss shape grief outcomes, and how to intervene most effectively, especially in systems of care not necessarily equipped to treat complex grief. This symposium brings together four complementary talks that address these gaps by exploring the real-time emotional and behavioral dynamics of PGD, examining the mental health impacts of traumatic loss, reporting on the development and piloting a transdiagnostic group intervention, and describing the implementation of PGD-specific therapy within a large national healthcare system. Our first talk explores the dynamics of grief-related approach and avoidance behaviors using ecological momentary assessment in a sample of grieving adults. Findings highlight that while approach behaviors—such as seeking reminders of the deceased—are more frequent than avoidance, avoidance behaviors are more strongly associated with PGD severity. The second talk examines US national bereavement-related mental health outcomes following traumatic loss. Results reveal high rates of PGD, PTSD, and depression across all types of loss, with important differences by loss type. Moving to intervention, our third talk describes the development, adaptation, and pilot outcomes of a novel group intervention for PGD, based on the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders. Results from two pilot groups demonstrate high acceptability, strong engagement, and promising reductions in PGD, depression, and emotion dysregulation—highlighting the potential for transdiagnostic treatments to address PGD and its comorbidities. Our final talk addresses the implementation of Prolonged Grief Disorder Therapy (PGDT), an evidence-based treatment for PGD, within a large national healthcare system. Outcomes demonstrated large and clinically meaningful improvements in PGD and comorbid symptoms, exceeding national benchmarks and underscoring the feasibility of disseminating PGD-specific treatment. Collectively, these talks advance understanding of both the mechanisms and practical treatment of PGD, integrating emotional, behavioral, and systemic perspectives to inform future research and clinical practice.

Presentations:

• 10:21 AM - 10:45 AM CST

  (SYM 49) The Behavior of Grief: Investigating the Dynamics and Emotional Correlates of Grief-related Approach and Avoidance Behavior
  

  Speaker: Emily H. Mintz, B.A. – Hofstra University

  Co-author: Emma R. Toner, M.A. – University of Virginia

  Co-author: Alexa M. Skolnik, M.A. – University of Toledo

  Co-author: John A. Leman, M.S. – Northeastern University

  Co-author: Christopher Magoon, M.D. – Harvard Medical School

  Co-author: Amanda W. Baker, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders, Massachusetts General Hospital

  Co-author: Naomi M. Simon, M.D. – NYU Grossman School of Medicine

  Co-author: Donald J. Robinaugh, Ph.D. – Northeastern University
• 10:42 AM - 11:03 AM CST

  (SYM 49) Bereavement Related Mental Health Outcomes in a National Sample of Traumatic Loss Survivors
  

  Speaker: Rachel Siciliano, Ph.D. – Medical University of South Carolina

  Speaker: Alyssa Rheingold, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Medical University of South Carolina

  Co-author: Joah Williams, Ph.D. – University of Memphis

  Co-author: Jamison Bottomley, Ph.D. – Medical University of South Carolina
• 11:03 AM - 11:24 AM CST

  (SYM 49) Development, Acceptability, and Efficacy of a Pilot Group Intervention for Prolonged Grief Disorder Based on the Unified Protocol
  

  Speaker: Daniella Spencer-Laitt, M.A. (she/her/hers) – Boston University

  Co-author: Julian Moreno, M.A (he/him/his) – Boston University

  Co-author: Gil Grunfeld, M.A – Boston University

  Co-author: Courtney Aul, M.A – Boston University

  Co-author: Daniel Teplow, M.A. – Boston University

  Co-author: Todd J. Farchione, Ph.D. – Boston University
• 11:24 AM - 11:45 AM CST

  (SYM 49) Evaluation of the Implementation of a Prolonged Grief Therapy Pathway in a UK National Health Service Talking Therapies Treatment Service
  

  Speaker: Barnaby Dunnn, Ph.D. – Mood

  Co-author: Sarah Goff, BABCP Accredited and HCPC Registered – Talkworks

  Co-author: Maria King, DClinPsy – Mood Disorders Centre, University of Exeter

  Co-author: James Carson, BA – Mood Disorders Centre, University of Exeter

  Co-author: Asha Ladwa, PhD – Mood Disorders Centre, University of Exeter

  Co-author: Megan Colletta, LCSW – Mood Disorders Centre, University of Exeter

  Co-author: Kathy Shear, MD PhD – Columbia University School of Social Work