A really nice and very comprehensive study of the financial consequences of a death in the family has come out from the Social Policy research Unit at the University of York. They did a survey and qualitative studies of the experiences of people coping with finances after a death in the family. It shows that a lot of commercial companies are not good at dealing with bereaved people, and financial issues are a real struggle for many people.

I wonder how many bereavement services would be able to respond to the following: …areas for useful exploration with some people might include constructs of the ‘economic personhood’ of the deceased person, and feelings about loss of breadwinner, home manager, gambler, debtor, profligate spender, careful budgeter, regular saver, or generous giver. Exploring feelings attached to stressors such as having to take on changed economic roles, might also be useful. Such discussions might identify financial issues where specialist advice from others might be appropriate, such as debt counselling and money advice, or reduction of fuel costs. Counsellors will want to be aware of any financial issues when people present symptoms or increased risk of complicated grief (page 168).

My sense of the focus of much bereavement counselling is not of concern for such issues; there is either a prctical response to financial difficulties, or a focus on the bereaved person’s emotions rather than the family socila realtionships and perceptions around finance. A useful thought, but there are many more in the report.

Corden, A, Hirst, M. and Nice, K. (2008). Financial Implications of Death of a Partner. Working Paper No ESRC 2288 12.08. York: Social Policy Research Unit, University of York.

Download it from: http://php.york.ac.uk/inst/spru/pubs/1148/