Introduction to the Special Issue on Grief

In the Introduction I present an overview of the changes that take place in conceptualizing the psychological purpose of the grief process following death of a loved one, and their effect on defining adaptive and maladaptive outcomes of grief. One of the most significant ones is the shift from breaking bonds to continuing bonds—the process of reorganizing the inner relationship with the deceased. New models of developmental grief have evolved. These are empirically-based and evidenced-based studies within which Cognitive Behavior Grief Therapy has gained significant reputation and the collection of articles in this special issue are representative of these changes. Also, a URL link of my article “Cognitive Behavioral Grief Therapy”, published in this journal in 1996 is provided for interested readers.