Integrating Culturally Sensitive Death Competence into Client Care
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Authors
Ryane, Jenafor
Issue Date
2025-06-11
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
advance care planning , community care , death anxiety , death competence , end-of-life care , end-of-life conversations , fear of death , palliative care , prolonged grief , radical love , Western Eurocentric culture
Alternative Title
Abstract
This capstone research project explores the role of counsellors in addressing the marginalization of death and dying within dominant Western Eurocentric capitalist culture. The project critically examines how cultural norms, historical developments, and institutional practices have led to the medicalization and industrialization of health and death—shaping a collective discomfort, denial, and fear around end-of-life (EOL) conversations. The literature reveals that while the public is not inherently resistant to discussing death, systemic and cultural barriers often prevent meaningful engagement. Counsellors are well-positioned to help normalize conversations about death, not only at EOL but as an early intervention that promotes emotional well-being, grief preparedness, and death literacy. The project investigates the psychological, cultural, and systemic factors contributing to current practices, and proposes a broader, more inclusive role for counsellors in facilitating death-related discussions across diverse communities. Central to this expanded role is the cultivation of death competence—developing the emotional, cognitive, and relational capacities necessary to engage meaningfully with death and dying in therapeutic contexts. Ultimately, this research advocates for a reimagining of death care that is grounded in compassion and cultural humility, contributing to a more holistic and human-centered approach to life, death, and dying.