Paul Boelen graduated at Utrecht University (The Netherlands), faculty of Social Sciences on 21 october 2005. It appears from his graduation research that complicated grief is distinct from anxiety disorders and depression, and that this disorder may appear among different subgroups of mourners (men and women, mourners confronted with violent loss, and other subgroups). Complicated grief may be considered a new clinical category which deserves its own place in the classification systems of mental disorders.

In addition, he observes that people who view themselves, their life and their future more negatively after a loss are experiencing more difficulty in dealing with it. Negative interpretations of grief reactions instead of acceptance and tolerance constitute a risk factor for complicated grief. Cognitive-behavioral therapy appears to be an effective psychotherapeutical approach in the treatment of patients suffering from complicated grief.

Dissertation: Complicated Grief: Assessment, Theory, and Treatment
Promotor 1: Prof.dr. J. van den Bout
Promotor 2: Prof.dr. M. A. van den Hout

Paul Boelen has published a large number of articles in international scientific journals.