Trial of Family Focused Grief Therapy in Palliative Care and Bereavement

The purpose of this study is to learn how well family therapy works if given while a family member is being treated for a serious illness and whether it helps their family to continue meeting for a time after their death. The therapy aims to assist the family communication and support during both palliative care and bereavement. The investigators also want to learn how many family therapy sessions spread out over time are best for helping patients and their families. Patients are randomly assigned to one of three groups: patients who receive standard palliative care, patients and their families who take part in 6 sessions, and patients and their families who take part in 10 sessions.

This Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) seeks to test the efficacy and dose responsiveness of a manualized family therapy intervention called Family Focused Grief Therapy (FFGT), which is delivered to families of patients with advanced disease and continued into bereavement. Randomization is to three arms: 6 sessions of FFGT, 10 sessions of FFGT, or standard care. The study also explores the potential mediators of effective outcome, empowering further refinement of the intervention, and undertakes an analysis of health-related costs of bereavement care. It is a multi-site study involving Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases (a comprehensive cancer center), Calvary Hospital (a dedicated palliative care hospital with home hospice care program)and Beth Israel (a medical center with a dedicated pain and palliative care department. Consenting families will be assessed at baseline through completion of questionnaires that appraise each individual's psychosocial well-being and perception of their family's functioning. Therapy will be delivered by family therapists (social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists), who will attend regular supervision sessions to sustain fidelity of the model of intervention. Follow-up of family members for psychosocial well-being, perceptions of family functioning, and costs of heath-related care will occur at 3, 6, 9, \& 13 months after the patient's death or completion of therapy sessions.