Life After Death: Grief Therapy After the Sudden Traumatic Death of a Family Member

Abstract

Grief is a process and not an endpoint. The goal of grief is not to forget about the loss, a commonly stated goal of survivors; rather, the goal is to remember the decedent, understand the changes created by the loss, and determine how to reinvest in life.

Om å leve med et barn som ikke lenger er i live. En fenomenologisk deskriptiv studie

“…Sorg er en ensom og unik opplevelse, og det kan vaere vanskelig for andre å forstå hva den sørgende går gjennom (Clements 2004, Riches og Dawson 2000. For informantene i denne studien var det viktig å poengtere at de heller ikke forventer at andre skal forstå deres sorg som de selv opplever den.…”

Working with teens through grief and loss: a resource manual

“…As outlined by Wolfelt (2003), some characteristics that may put a youth at risk include insecurity, abandonment, low self-esteem, experiencing multiple losses, and concurrently dealing with family issues such as alcoholism or abuse. Areas that have shown to contribute to poor grief outcomes are ; type of death (cause for blame, sudden death), characteristics of the relationship (parent death), characteristics of survivor (intense clinging, insecure, anxious, low self-esteem, previous unresolved losses, needing to uphold 'macho' selfimage), and social circumstances (detached from traditional support systems, low socioeconomic status) (Eppler, 2008;Clements, DeRanieri, Vigil , & Benasutti, 2004;Goldman, 2004;Parkes, 1985).…”

“…The world of grief can be a lonely and secret place, often misunderstood by those who have not personally experienced the pain of an overwhelming loss. Survivor responses will vary based on age, cultural and religious beliefs, and/or past experience with loss, and may be related to one's available tools of adaptive coping methods that have worked previously (Clements et al, 2004). …”

“…When death is a result of sudden, traumatic loss, the immediate shock and chaos can lead toward complicated grief (Clements, DeRanieri, Vigil, & Benasutti, 2004;Doka, 1996;Feigelman & Gorman, 2008;Parkes, 1985;President & Fellows ofHarvard College, 2009). Many survivors place importance as to the manner of death of their loved ones, further affecting the grieving process (Feigelman, Jordan, & Gorman, 2009).…”

“…Survivors of homicide and suicide loss face additional challenges such as shame and guilt as these types of death often carry negative stereotypes (Clements, et al, 2004;Doka, 1996;President & Fellows of Harvard College, 2009). …”