Series in Death, Dying and Bereavement
Decision Making Near the End of Life
Issues, Developments, and Future Directions
- Edited by James Werth Jr., Dean Blevins
Decision Making Near the End of Life provides a comprehensive overview of the recent developments that have impacted decision-making processes within the field of end-of-life care. The most current developments in all aspects of major underlying issues such as public attitudes, the impact of media, bioethics, and legal precedent provide the background information for the text. The authors examine various aspects of end-of-life choices and decision-making, including communication (between and among family, medical personnel, the dying person, etc.), advance directives, and the emergence of hospice and palliative care institutions. The book also explores a variety of psychosocial considerations that arise in decision-making, including religion/spirituality, family caregiving, disenfranchised and diverse groups, and the psychological and psychiatric problems that can impact both the dying person and loved ones. Case studies and first-person stories about decision-making, written by professionals in the field, bring a uniquely personal touch to this valuable text.
Published October 20th 2008 by Routledge.
more information about Decision Making Near the End of Life
Suicide Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups
Theory, Research, and Practice
- Edited by Frederick T.L. Leong, Mark M. Leach
Suicide is increasingly understood and predicted as an intersection of biological, psychological, cognitive, and sociocultural factors. We have some basic knowledge of these factors and how they interact, but presently we know very little about how culture can play a role as a variable that influences suicide. Suicide Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups will go a long way towards filling that gap by pulling together cutting edge empirical research from general cultural diversity literature and applying it to suicide assessment, treatment, and prevention theory and practice. By looking outside of the limited cross-cultural studies done within suicidal populations, the contributors – all established experts in both multicultural counseling and suicidology – expand the available empirical literature base in order to provide a deeper look into how culture can act as an important catalyst in suicidal intentions.
Following theoretical overviews, the text focuses on six broad ethic groups classified in the literature (African American, American Indian, Asian American, European American, Hawaiian & Pacific Islander, and Hispanic), with a main chapter devoted to each, relating each culture to suicide research, highlighting specific variables within the culture that can influence suicide, and presenting appropriate treatment considerations. A final section of the book consists of practical applications within specific settings (therapy, outreach, schools, psychiatric services) and prevention and training issues.
Published December 13th 2007 by Routledge.
more information about Suicide Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups
The Art of Grief
The Use of Expressive Arts in a Grief Support Group
Art and other expressive therapies are increasingly used in grief counseling, not only among children and adolescents, but throughout the developmental spectrum. Creative activities are commonly used in group and individual psychotherapy programs, but it is only relatively recently that these expressive modalities have been employed within the context of clinical grief work in structured settings. These forms of nonverbal communication are often more natural ways to express thoughts and feelings that are difficult to discuss, particularly when it comes to issues surrounding grief and loss. Packed with pictures and instructional detail, this book includes an eight-session curriculum for use with grief support groups as well as alternative modalities of grief art therapy.
Published June 8th 2007 by Routledge.
more information about The Art of Grief
Music of the Soul
Composing Life Out of Loss
Music of the Soul guides the reader through principles, techniques, and exercises for incorporating music into grief counseling, with the end goal of further empowering the grieving person.
Music has a unique ability to elicit a whole range of powerful emotional responses in people - even so far as altering or enhancing one's mood - as well as physical reactions. This interdisciplinary text draws in equal parts from contemporary grief/loss theory, music therapy research, historical examples of powerful music, case studies, and both self-reflecting and teaching exercises. Music is as much about beginnings as endings, and thus the book moves through life’s losses into its new beginnings, using musical expression to help the bereaved find meaning in loss and hurt, and move forward with their lives. With numerous exercises and examples for implementing the use of music in grief counseling, the book offers a practical and flexible approach to a broad spectrum of mental health practitioners, from thanatologists to hospice staff, at all levels of professional training and settings.
Published September 8th 2006 by Routledge.
more information about Music of the Soul
When Professionals Weep
Emotional and Countertransference Responses in End-of-Life Care
- Edited by Renee S. Katz, Therese G. Johnson
Diverse leaders in the field of death, dying, and bereavement, address the issues surrounding the intersection of the personal and the professional in the unique context of end-of-life care.
End-of-life care (EOL) is a specialized area of work that crosses a number of academic and professional disciplines, including social work, counseling, hospice, physical medicine, geriatrics, nursing, counseling, psychology, and clerical work. Professionals who work in EOL have often had deeply moving personal experiences with trauma, death, and loss in their own lives, and almost inevitably bring their own histories, memories, notions, and assumptions to their work. These countertransference responses can be both complex and subtle.
Published March 15th 2006 by Routledge.
more information about When Professionals Weep
African American Grief
- By Paul C. Rosenblatt, Beverly R. Wallace
African American Grief is a unique contribution to the field, both as a professional resource for counselors, therapists, social workers, clergy, and nurses, and as a reference volume for thanatologists, academics, and researchers. This work considers the potential effects of slavery, racism, and white ignorance and oppression on the African American experience and conception of death and grief in America. Based on interviews with 26 African-Americans who have faced the death of a significant person in their lives, the authors document, describe, and analyze key phenomena of the unique African-American experience of grief. The book combines moving narratives from the interviewees with sound research, analysis, and theoretical discussion of important issues in thanatology as well as topics such as the influence of the African-American church, gospel music, family grief, medical racism as a cause of death, and discrimination during life and after death.
Published April 26th 2005 by Routledge.
more information about African American Grief
Helping Grieving People - When Tears Are Not Enough
A Handbook for Care Providers
Helping Grieving People is a training manual for care providers who will provide support and counseling to those grieving death, illness, and other losses. The author addresses grief as it affects a variety of relationships and discusses different intervention and support strategies, always cognizant of individual and cultural differences in the expression and treatment of grief.
Jeffreys has established a practical approach to preparing trainee caregivers through three basic tracks: Heart, Head and Hand. The first step, Heart, calls for self discovery, freeing oneself of accumulated loss in order to focus all attention on the griever. Head emphasizes understanding the complex and dynamic phenomena of human grief. Hand stresses the caregiver's actual intervention, and speaks to the appropriate level of skill as well as the various methods of healing available. Following these three motifs, the Handbook discusses the social and cultural contexts of grief as well as its psychological constructs.
Published December 30th 2004 by Routledge.
more information about Helping Grieving People - When Tears Are Not Enough
Widow to Widow
How the Bereaved Help One Another
Widow to Widow shares the experiences of widows who have found comfort and continuity in mutual-help and community support programs. In the second edition of her pioneering text, Phyllis Silverman brings the success of the original widow-to-widow program into the 21st century, preparing a new generation of community leaders, clergy, counselors, hospice staff, social workers, and the widowed themselves to organize and implement mutual-help programs.
Published September 30th 2004 by Routledge.
more information about Widow to Widow
Voices of Bereavement
A Casebook for Grief Counselors
This book introduces counselors to specific bereavement situations drawn from the author's counseling practice. Theory is blended with practical suggestions for intervention and a discussion of the counselor's struggles.
Published May 28th 2004 by Routledge.
more information about Voices of Bereavement
Helping Bereaved Parents
A Clinician's Guide
- By Lawrence Calhoun, Richard Tedeschi
This book gives the clinician an understanding of the experience of grieving parents and offers a concise clinical guide that the mental health professional can use to best assist the bereaved parent. The authors combine their extensive experience and expertise with persons who have undergone loss, with their empirical research on this topic in order to offer the practicing clinician a unique and up-to-date perspective. An overview familiarizes the reader with the subject, literature and existing models and theories, and from there the authors build a framework for treating the bereaved. Case examples, empirical research and specific circumstances are discussed in order to better understand the involvement of spirituality and counter-transference in the counseling process. Included are chapters on spirituality and the experience of the clinician, vital issues that are often not encountered during the counselling process.
Published February 12th 2004 by Routledge.
more information about Helping Bereaved Parents
Helping Bereaved Parents
A Clinician's Guide
- By Richard G. Tedeschi, Lawrence G. Calhoun
This book provides a concise, yet comprehensive guide to effective work with bereaved parents, combining a broad overview of current research, theory, and practice with the authors' own extensive clinical experience. Transcripts of individual, couple, and group meetings illustrate the delicate subtleties of this work, giving the reader helpful insights into more effective clinical practice. The authors emphasize the importance of approaching each parent as a unique person, while also considering the socio-cultural context of the bereaved. This book helps clinicians approach work with bereaved parents with a less scripted format, suggesting an alternative role as expert companion to the bereaved, allowing for a more uplifting experience for both parties.
Published November 19th 2003 by Routledge.
more information about Helping Bereaved Parents
Katie's Diary
Unlocking the Mystery of a Suicide
Katie's Diary is a unique analysis of the diary left behind by a young woman who has committed suicide. As compared to suicide notes, which are typically brief, Katie's diary consists of five separate books, an opportunity to look into the mind of a suicide from a source of data that is extraordinarily rare. Commenting on the diary are professionals in the fields of suicidology, linguistics, women's studies, Jungian analysis and voice therapy, among others. Suicidal themes that prevail in her writing are discussed, as well as potential treatment methods in the hopes that the study will contribute to suicide prevention.
Published October 27th 2003 by Routledge.
more information about Katie's Diary
Chronic Sorrow
A Living Loss
Grief and loss are burgeoning concerns for professional disciplines such as nursing, social work, family therapy, psychology, psychiatry, law, religion and medicine. Although understanding has increased in virtually all other areas of grief and loss, chronic sorrow has received scant attention.
Chronic sorrow is a natural grief reaction to losses that are not final, but continue to be present in the life of the griever. This book views chronic sorrow in a life-span perspective, and reveals the effect on the griever and the people close to them.
This book fills a void in the literature; and attempts to develop a comprehensive analysis of chronic sorrow that will secure its position within the field of grief and loss.
Published January 18th 2002 by Routledge.
more information about Chronic Sorrow
Loss and Trauma
General and Close Relationship Perspectives
- Edited by John Harvey, Eric Miller
Given the relationship between trauma, loss, and interpersonal bonds, the editors have assembled a noteworthy list of contributions discussing trauma associated with close relationships (divorce, infertility, widowhood). Certainly, trauma is closely associated with loss. This edited volume offers the perspective of over twenty leading scholars in the study of trauma and loss. Each chapter offers extensive coverage of contemporary issues (terror management, rational suicide, spirituality, stigmatization). Relationship issues within these topics are also explored.
Published June 30th 2000 by Routledge.
more information about Loss and Trauma
Give Sorrow Words
Perspectives on Loss and Trauma
Throughout our lives, we are influenced by the sensation of loss. Whether implicit or obvious, the impact of this sense of loss affects our daily thinking and behavior. This new text provides a comprehensive introduction to the study of loss via exploration into three major types of loss: loss of important relationships (divorce or perhaps the dissolution of important relationships and friendships); losses that damage who we are, our self-esteem (loss of employment); and losses resulting from victimization (being the target of violence or prejudice; loss of home in a natural disaster).
Students of sociology, theology, and family studies will find this text of key interest. Moreover, professionals in these fields, including the fields of trauma and loss, will appreciate the thorough literature review, practical language, clinical interventions, and case highlights.
Published June 21st 2000 by Routledge.
more information about Give Sorrow Words
Parent Grief
Narratives of Loss and Relationship
Explores what couple and individual stories say and do not say about the child's dying and death and about parent grief. The author uses narratives as his tool for the introduction and exploration of the many facets of parental grief.
Published April 7th 2000 by Routledge.
more information about Parent Grief
Grieving Beyond Gender, Revised Edition
Understanding the Ways Men and Women Mourn
- By Kenneth J. Doka, Terry L. Martin
Do men and women grieve differently? This new text, while emphasizing that there are many ways to cope with grief, offers a refreshing change from the popular gender stereotypes of grief. Two patterns of grieving are described: an intuitive pattern where individuals experience and express grief in an affective way (stereotyped as female); and an instrumental pattern where grief is expressed physically or cognitively (stereotyped as male). A third pattern representing a blending of these two is also introduced. Of critical importance is that such patterns are related to, but not determined by, gender; and each has distinct strengths and weaknesses.
Organized into three main parts, this topical new text begins by defining terms, introducing and delineating the grief patterns, and rooting the book's concept in contemporary theories of grief. The second part speculates on factors that may influence individuals' patterns of coping with loss (e.g., personality, gender, culture, etc.). The final part considers implications and therapeutic interventions likely to be effective with different types of grievers.
Published December 1st 1999 by Routledge.
more information about Grieving Beyond Gender, Revised Edition
Lives and Deaths
Selections from the Works of Edwin S. Shneidman
- Edited by Antoon Leenaars
Edwin S. Shneidman is recognized as the central figure in the field of suicidology. His writings have taught countless psychologists and other health professionals about the complexity of suicide, death and bereavement. This collection of his writings spans the entirety of his career and offers a unique insight into the development of his thinking. The material is broken down into five parts: Psychological Assessment, Logic, Melville and Murray, Suicide, and Death and each section includes an introduction by the editor.
Lives and Deaths is a vital resource for those in suicidology and related fields, allowing the reader to sample a variety of selections from Shneidman's work in one compact volume. The book is ideal for classroom use by upper level undergraduates and graduate students in the history of suicidology or as a supplemental text in a general suicidology course. It is also of interest to clinicians treating high-risk patients as well as a more general audience including psychologists, social workers, crisis counselors and suicide prevention specialists.
Published July 1st 1999 by Routledge.
more information about Lives and Deaths
The Spiritual Lives of Bereaved Parents
The death of a child creates a storm in the grieving individual and in the family that tests even the surest of spiritual anchors. Appealing to pastoral counselors, bereavement counselors, and family therapists, this insightful book describes how parents lose, find, or relocate spiritual anchors after the death of their child.
Published June 1st 1999 by Routledge.
more information about The Spiritual Lives of Bereaved Parents
Contemporary Perspectives on Rational Suicide
This text brings together spokespersons from several different disciplines who can present their arguments for or against rational suicide as a viable concept and, consequently, a realistic option. The pros and cons of the discussion format bring the readers to search for their beliefs, and the final decision of acceptance or rejection of the concept is left to each individual reader.
Published December 1st 1998 by Routledge.
more information about Contemporary Perspectives on Rational Suicide
Perspectives On Loss
A Sourcebook
Losses are integral to the human experience, but they sometimes unfold in subtle ways. Loss is not just about death, but can encompass a number of situations, such as those gradual losses experienced by the elderly: loss of vision, mental capacity, or hope. Intended to stimulate ideas and research in the new area of psychological aspects of loss, this sourcebook collects the writing of a set of distinguished scholars representing psychology and related fields. The author presents a case for a broadly-construed field of loss-both personal and interpersonal-that would complement other fields such as death and dying, traumatology, and stress and coping. No other volume is as comprehensive in its treatment of this intriguing subject. The book begins with an introduction to the concept of loss and discusses the definition of the term and the salience of the topic in the general public in the 1990s. Contributors were chosen to represent some of the most interesting current work on different types of loss and adaptation in the whole of the social and behavioral sciences. Contents cover such diverse subjects as loss in intimate relationships, disability, chronic illness, genocide, sports, unemployment, and homelessness. The book concludes with a commentary section on loss theory and research.
Published July 1st 1998 by Routledge.
more information about Perspectives On Loss
Multiple AIDS-Related Loss
A Handbook For Understanding And Surviving A Perpetual Fall
Surviving multiple-AIDS related loss losing more than one loved one to AIDS has cumulative and continuous effects while stigmatization and the abscence of traditionally available support systems handicap recovery. This book strives to legitimize the profound pain experienced by many survivors of AIDS. Normalizing the abnormal experience of survivors is an important coping strategy emphasized throughout.; Taking a personal look at this tragedy, the book presents the stories and experiences of survivors. It also outlines the historical context of AIDS and characteristics of multiple-AIDS related loss, and explores grieving multiple loss and the problems for survivors in both grief, adjustment, and traumatization. Other topics covered include the impact on families of origin and families of choice, self identity and existential anxiety, specific suggestions for both helping survivors and enabling them to thrive, and professional issues in treatment.
Published July 1st 1997 by Taylor and Francis.
more information about Multiple AIDS-Related Loss
Counseling the Terminally Ill
Sharing the Journey
Placing a focus on the spiritual needs of death and dying, the theme of this book is that the focus of counselling with people who are dying should be on the psychospiritual aspects of death and dying. It is based on two assumptions - that death and anxiety, not pain, are the most critical issues for the dying, and that the time of dying is an opportunity for growth and transformation. The author believes that it is imperative for counselling professionals to realize that at this time understanding and caring are primary.
Published September 1st 1996 by Taylor and Francis.
more information about Counseling the Terminally Ill
Bereavement And Support
Healing in a Group Environment
In the early 1970s bereavement support groups were almost unknown. However, the obvious benefits of the group process for recovery - the mutual support and understanding that helps mourners to a better outlook - has created a demand for people who can organise and facilitate these groups.; Addressing the basis and need for support groups for the bereaved, this book presents a theoretical overview, examines benefits and variety of support groups structured and unstructural, special populations and specifics for initiating, organising and running them, such as publicity. It differs from other treatments in that theory and practice are moulded into a how-to approach, with all procedures presented equally for the widest range of choices. Also included is a comprehensive book bibliography for adults, children, children's helpers and parents.; This text is intended to be of use as a resource for professionals in the field of thanatology, including psychologists, psychiatrists, gerontologists, therapists, group counsellors, hospice workers, educators, funeral home directors, home health employees, hospital staff and volunteer organisations that work with survivors.
Published April 1st 1995 by Taylor and Francis.
more information about Bereavement And Support
Dying: Facing The Facts
Facing the Facts
- Edited by Hannelore Wass, Robert A. Neimeyer
This work provides an up-to-date examination of the ways people face dying and bereavement. In this third edition previous chapters are throrughly revised, and new contributors expand areas that have changed significantly. Reflecting the field's complex interdisciplinary character, the chapters cover such diverse areas as psychology, nursing, medicine, AIDS, family studies, sociology, education, philosophy, law, religion, the humanities and political science, whilst highlighting thanatology's core psychological and therapeutic caregiving dimensions.; First, the text offers broad examinations of death systems from the vantage points of various cultural, historical and disciplinary perspectives. The second section represents the core of the book, offering detailed surveys of the "data" of death, dying and bereavement as they relate to different phases of our encounter with death as an abstract possibility and concrete reality. Next are chapters addressing a cluster of death-related issues and challenges that confront us at both a societal and individual level - such as AIDS - and finally the volume closes with a few reflections on the complexity of contemporary thanatology, framing some issues and recommendations that deserve greater attention by scholars, researchers, policy makers and practitioners. Also included is a comprehensive resource bibliography on the topic.; This text is intended to be of use as a resource for all those interested in reading about death studies, both professionals and students alike.
Published April 1st 1995 by Taylor and Francis.
more information about Dying: Facing The Facts
Treatment Of Suicidal People
- Edited by Robert A. Neimeyer, John T. Maltsberger, Antoon A. Leenaars
Treatment of suicidal people takes three forms: prevention - strategies to avert conditions leading to suicide; intervention - treatment and care during the crisis; and postvention - response after the event has occurred. Unlike other current literature, here the focus is on the state of the art of intervention. This type of examination is essential, because suicidal people themselves are in need of such treatments - crisis intervention, psychotherapy, psychopharmacology and hospitalization.; Written by professionals in the field, the "Treatment of Suicidal People" allows readers to participate in a learning experience. First is a case presentation of an individual - Arthur Inman - and his long road toward suicide, as chronicled in his personal diary. The seond section puts forth guidelines for the evaluation of suicide risk and crisis intervention. A focus on more sustained efforts in psychotherapy is next, a theme which is continued in the fourth part by addressing psychiatric issues that are essential for treatment of highly disturbed and lethal patients.; The following section examines a number of clinical and legal issues that transcend any one population of suicidal people, and any particular treatment approach or context. And lastly, the volume returns to Arthur Inman, with case consultations providing alternative perspectives and recommendations on his treatment. Suicide and related forms of self-injurious behaviour can be circumvented, if the involved professionals are sufficiently trained in assessment and prevention.
Published August 1st 1994 by Taylor and Francis.
more information about Treatment Of Suicidal People
Bereavement And Adaptation
A Comparative Study of the Aftermath of Death
Offers a critical review of the main psychological theories on adaptation after loss followed by an overview of the results of the empirical research on bereavement. It also reflects on the results of the Leiden Bereavement Study, which compares the consequences of death.
Published October 1st 1992 by Taylor and Francis.
more information about Bereavement And Adaptation
Facing Death: Images, Insights, And Interventions
A Handbook For Educators, Healthcare Professionals, And Counselors
Facing Death is a unique handbook for educators, healthcare professionals and counselors. It uses materials from the visual arts, excerpts from poetry, fiction, drama, and examples from popular culture to sensitize the reader to important, universal issues confronting the dying, and those responsible for their care.
Published May 1st 1991 by Taylor and Francis.
more information about Facing Death: Images, Insights, And Interventions
Alzheimer's Day Care
A Basic Guide
- By David A. Linderman, Nancy H. Corby, Rachel Downing, Beverly Sanborn
A book whose purpose is to offer guidance to individuals, organizations and agencies on how to develop day care programmes for patients with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. A range of programme aspects are covered from administrative details to social factors and evaluation techniques.
Published December 1st 1990 by Taylor and Francis.
more information about Alzheimer's Day Care
Suicide Prevention In Schools
- By Antoon A. Leenaars, Susanne Wenkstern
Argues that schools have a much larger role to play in the prevention of suicide among children and adolescents than they have generally undertaken hitherto. Sets out various ways in which teachers can detect suicidal tendencies and make appropriate interventions.
Published August 1st 1990 by Taylor and Francis.
more information about Suicide Prevention In Schools
