Date

12-4-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Roald Hughes

Keywords

depression, grief, spiritual care, spirituality, treatment

Disciplines

Counseling

Abstract

The phenomenological study described the experiences of spiritual care for adults who lost a loved one due to COVID-19 in Texas. The theory guiding the study was Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy, which was humanity’s search for meaning in a finite world governed by spiritual principles (García-Alandete, 2024; Parker, 2022; Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014). Grief was one of the occurrences that grappled with humanity’s understanding of life. Death was a universal phenomenon, and grief occurred as a response to a loss (Fernández & González-González, 2022). Research shows that symptoms of grief dissipate over time. When it was accompanied by prolonged time or trauma, grief could turn into complex or prolonged grief, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or Clinical Depression. For those faced with the effects of COVID-19, the grief of a loved one was accompanied by loss of various other kinds (Biancalani et al., 2022). When the complexities of grief lasted for over a month, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual- 5th edition referred to that as a persistent complex bereavement-related disorder. The study examined the effectiveness of spiritual care to treat the different facets of grief, including trauma-related grief. Exploring spiritual care as a substantial way to address multisystemic areas of client distress, including grief and bereavement, was done to address and challenge the medical viewpoint of biopsychosocial care. Data collection included the interview of each participant. Answers to the interviews were analyzed, and themes were developed. Suggestions were made to help clergy and lay people prepare for times like this. The church can minister more effectively by organizing care teams to support individuals and communities during times of grief and beyond.

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