Reactions of beginning counselors to situations involving death and dying

It has commonly been assumed by thanatologists that client problems centering on death and dying are particularly demanding and difficult for the mental health professional. The present study tested this assumption by asking 81 beginning counselors to rate their degree of comfort with 15 counseling scenarios, 5 of which involved death or loss (e.g., terminal illness, suicide, AIDS, grief) and 10 of which concerned other focal issues (e.g., rape, marital problems). As predicted, counselors rated situations involving death and dying as substantially more uncomfortable than other presenting problems. However, counselors' levels of experience and personal death threat were unrelated to their response to death situations, leaving the cause of their discomfort with such situations unexplained.