Grief Counseling-who benefits? hint- who get paid for it?

Bringing in grief counselors seems to be a fairly common occurrence. We hear about it when a tragedy, such a shooting at a school, occurs. We are told that such specialists are being brought in to do whatever they do to help the students cope with their loss.

There is even an organization through which one can be certified in grief counseling,the American Institute of Health Care Professionals. They also offer other certifications including "Health Care Life Coach".

Apparently the basis of grief counseling has been undermined in recent years by some published data. To add a veneer of fairness I mention this article which critically reviews articles that have claimed actual harm from the process focusing on two papers which they believe are flawed and have unduly damaged the reputation of grief counseling.

A 2007 Newsweek article quotes some research that demonstrated actual harm ( mainly prolonging of the symptoms for which they were treated) from grief counseling and claimed that solid proof on its efficacy is lacking.