It's About Family: The Death of a Close Family Friend

When an individual dies, the role of the family member(s) is clearly prescribed by society: support, presence, caring, and remembrance, Traditionally, the definition of "family" has broadened to create the "extended family' or "expanded family" with members defined by deep bonds, relationships, and friendships. Currently, close friends who become the extended/expanded family, can be as central as kin to family structure and stability. Therefore, when one member of an extended family dies, the death resonates throughout the entire system affecting not only the lives of the immediate family members, but also those in the expanded circle of family relationships. This article describes the relationships in one extended family and discusses the struggles and counseling interventions used when one member of an extended family suddenly dies.