ASWB Bachelor Practice Exam 2025 - Free ASWB Practice Questions and Study Guide

Dismissing a client's feelings as normal is the least effective strategy for helping a client process grief during a counseling session. Grief is a deeply personal and complex experience, often marked by a range of emotions that can vary significantly from one individual to another. When a counselor dismisses these feelings, it can lead to the client feeling misunderstood and invalidated. Rather than facilitating healing and understanding, this approach may hinder the client's ability to express and explore their grief, potentially leading to feelings of isolation or frustration.

In contrast, listening without interruption, offering reassurance about recovery, and encouraging the expression of feelings are all strategies that foster a supportive environment. Active listening provides the client with the opportunity to share their experience, which is crucial for processing grief. Reassurance about recovery can instill hope and help the client to envision a path forward, while encouraging the expression of feelings allows the client to work through their emotions in a safe space. All these approaches contribute positively to the grieving process and validate the client's experiences.