The Pave Project Report - Queen's University Belfast

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The PAVE Project Report
preliminary evaluations regarding systemic therapies (Boss, Beaulieu, Wieling,
Turner, & LaCruz, 2003), there is no reliable quantitative research evidence of its
effectiveness. Client-centred bereavement counselling is very popular with a large
number of agencies and is probably one of the most widely used approaches for the
treatment of the bereaved (Zimbardo, 2005). However, ultimately, there is not much
rigorous research evidence of its effectiveness either (Cutcliffe, 2004; Doermann,
2002).
The best evidence of effectiveness comes from behaviour therapy. Some research
findings suggest that a number of different behavioural protocols (e.g. Rational
Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), Dialectic Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Eye
Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), or Solution Focussed
Therapy) can be effective in bereavement and trauma related treatment (AABT, 1991;
Gillespie, Duffy, Hackmann, & Clark, 2002; Gray & Litz, 2005), however availability
of these services varies widely across the sector.
Psychology-based interventions were not as popular among the victims groups as
community-based service, probably because of the potential stigma involved, and
many service users remained sceptical regarding their effectiveness. In fact, some
feared that psychologically-based services could actually make people worse. For
instance, in the summary report of ‘Living with the Trauma of the ‘Troubles’’ (SSI,
1998), it was argued that ‘there is little evidence that generic counselling, provided by
itself, is particularly effective. More attention needs to be given to the content and