The Deceased Focused Approach To Grief

Conventional grief models focus on the bereaved, including actions that they need to take to get back to normalcy following the death of a loved one. This book suggests that it might be helpful in the grieving process to focus on the deceased, instead. Research points to the benefits of altruistic acts and thoughts, including improvements in mood. Altruistic acts and thoughts also could be extended to the deceased, who in death has experienced a loss as well. By taking on the perspective of and being empathic toward the deceased, a “response shift” occurs that could result in mood improvement and happiness in the bereaved. The book provides guidelines for this alternative grief model in the death of a child, of a teenager, of a spouse/partner, and of a sibling; and in multiple deaths and in persistent grief experience among others. Based on motivational principles, a workbook is also provided for monitoring progress in coping with bereavement. Comprehension questions and additional readings are provided in each chapter to help the reader further explore the topic at hand. This book would be useful in a course on death, dying and bereavement; to healthcare practitioners/bereavement counsellors; and to scholars in death, dying and bereavement across different fields including psychology, sociology, social work, public health and religion. Most grief models focus on the bereaved, including actions the survivor needs to take to get back to normalcy after a loss. However, in the grieving process it might be helpful if attention is shifted to the deceased, instead. The bereaved, by doing things she or he perceives as pleasing to the deceased, might receive healing and satisfaction in return. Lisa Farino (2010) notes that there is no shortage of research pointing to the beneficial effects of focusing on others. In a study by Carolyn Schwartz and Rabbi Meir Sendor (1999), lay people with a chronic disease were trained to provide compassionate, unconditional regard to others who had the same illness. The results showed that the providers of care and compassion reported better quality of life than the recipients of care and compassion, even though both givers and receivers had the same disease. The givers showed profound improvements in confidence, self-awareness, self-esteem, depression, and in role functioning. The researchers emphasized the beneficial importance of “response shift” (the shifting of internal standards, values, and concept definition of health and well-being) in dealing with one’s own adversity. Farino (2010) notes that this research is profound because in western culture the belief is that feeling happy tends to be getting something for yourself. There are biological origins to the notion that “it’s better to give than to receive.” Using the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers were able to demonstrate a connection between brain activity and giving. People who gave voluntarily and also for a good cause experienced more activation of the part of brain that controls for pleasure and happiness (e.g, Harbaugh, Mayr & Burghart, 2007). Studies show that about 7% of the US population experience complicated or prolonged grief disorder (e.g., Kersting et al, 2011). This is persistent grief that does not go away, and many parents tend to experience this after the loss of a child. In their study Catherine Rogers and colleagues (2008) found bereaved parents reporting more depressive symptoms, poorer well-being and more health problems after a child’s loss almost 20 years later. Survivors usually show concern about how their deceased loved ones felt prior to death and if happy or not in the afterlife (e.g., Eyetsemitan & Eggleston, 2002). A study reported respondents used emotion discrete terms such as sad, happy or angry to describe the faces of deceased persons. The researchers suggested that the perceived emotional state of a deceased loved one could impact on the survivor’s mourning trajectory (e.g., Eyetsemitan & Eggleston, 2002). The bereavement model of placing focus on the deceased instead, provides an alternative to existing bereavement models, in helping the survivor to cope with a loss.

"To those of us who have been aware of the innovative service to families facing death and bereavement that has been developed by David W. Kissane and Sidney Bloch this book has been eagerly awaited. Their work is a logical development in the field of Palliative Care in which it has long been recognized that, when life is threatened, it is the family (which includes the patient) which is, or ought to be, the unit of care. The work also has great relevance for the wider field of bereavement care...all who work to help families at times of death and bereavement will find much to learn from this book which represents a useful addition to our understanding of the losses which, sooner or later, we all have to face." - Colin Murray Parkes Family members are often intimately involved in the care of dying people and themselves require support through both their experience of palliative care and bereavement. This innovative book describes a comprehensive model of family care and how to go about it - Family Focused Grief Therapy is an approach which is new, preventive, cost effective and with proven benefits to bereaved people. It describes a highly original and creative approach to bereavement care, one likely to revolutionize psychosocial care in oncology, hospice or palliative care and grief work. The book has been designed rather like a therapy manual, providing a step-by-step approach to assessment and intervention. Its rich illustration through many clinical examples brings the process of therapy alive for the reader, anticipating the common challenges that arise and describing how the therapist might respond. Families are recognised throughout as the central social unit, pivotal to the success of palliative care. Family Focused Grief Therapy will be of use to doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, pastoral care workers, psychiatrists and other allied health professionals who work in caring for the dying and for their bereaved relatives. Based soundly on a decade of internationally regarded research, this book will alter the direction of future medical practice and is destined to become a classic in its field.

First published in 1996. This new book gives voice to an emerging consensus among bereavement scholars that our understanding of the grief process needs to be expanded. The dominant 20th century model holds that the function of grief and mourning is to cut bonds with the deceased, thereby freeing the survivor to reinvest in new relationships in the present. Pathological grief has been defined in terms of holding on to the deceased. Close examination reveals that this model is based more on the cultural values of modernity than on any substantial data of what people actually do. Presenting data from several populations, 22 authors - among the most respected in their fields - demonstrate that the health resolution of grief enables one to maintain a continuing bond with the deceased. Despite cultural disapproval and lack of validation by professionals, survivors find places for the dead in their on-going lives and even in their communities. Such bonds are not denial: the deceased can provide resources for enriched functioning in the present. Chapters examine widows and widowers, bereaved children, parents and siblings, and a population previously excluded from bereavement research: adoptees and their birth parents. Bereavement in Japanese culture is also discussed, as are meanings and implications of this new model of grief. Opening new areas of research and scholarly dialogue, this work provides the basis for significant developments in clinical practice in the field.

"Although I have been a hospice nurse for almost 19 years, I am not a counselor. However, I will be able to use some of the information I learned here to assist my patients and my colleagues with issues encountered during the difficult time when patients are dying and families are struggling with realities. I will definitely share this book with our bereavement counselors and social workers." Score: 90, 4 stars --Doody's "[T]his is aÖbook about possibilities-not finalities...about all the different ways that people deal with loss and bereavementÖand how solution focused brief therapy can be helpful in making sense of the experience that people go through when facing death." --Harry Korman, MD Solution focused practice challenges the conventional approach to bereavement counseling by emphasizing solution building over simple problem-solving. Joel Simon, with over 16 years of experience in the field, demonstrates how this therapy can help clients think of possibilities, rather than limitations, when facing death or the loss of a loved one. This book presents a general overview of solution focused practice, tools, and methodologies for practitioners. Simon also provides real-life vignettes and verbatim transcripts from actual patients in end-of-life or bereavement counseling. This book provides insight into the philosophy and practice of solution focused therapy, as applied to clients with life-limiting conditions and their loved ones. Key topics discussed: The use of language in solution focused practice: theory, meaning making, and the role of emotions Tools of solution-building, with questions, troubleshooting guidelines, and tips for evaluating outcomes The distinction between problem-solving and solution-building Co-constructing goals with clients Applying solution focused principles to hospice, grief, and bereavement practice This resource serves as an invaluable tool for social workers, hospice workers, psychologists, and other bereavement and grief-counseling professionals.

The loss of a loved one is one of the most painful experiences that most of us will ever have to face in our lives. This book recognises that there is no single solution to the problems of bereavement but that an understanding of grief can help the bereaved to realise that they are not alone in their experience. Long recognised as the most authoritative work of its kind, this new edition has been revised and extended to take into account recent research findings on both sides of the Atlantic. Parkes and Prigerson include additional information about the different circumstances of bereavement including traumatic losses, disasters, and complicated grief, as well as providing details on how social, religious, and cultural influences determine how we grieve. Bereavement provides guidance on preparing for the loss of a loved one, and coping after they have gone. It also discusses how to identify the minority in whom bereavement may lead to impairment of physical and/or mental health and how to ensure they get the help they need. This classic text will continue to be of value to the bereaved themselves, as well as the professionals and friends who seek to help and understand them.

`The authors have done their homework in reading and consulting with the prominent literature, especially regarding children. All this effort gives the book a solid background foundation and makes it readable, and well-usable, for both lay counsellors and professional providers, and for all of us who are engaged in the delicate and rewarding endeavor of Grief Therapy′ - Naji Abi-Hashem, Clinical & Cultural Psychologist, Berkeley, California Praise for the First Edition: `The book provides an absorbing and challenging journey through the possible process involved in bereavement work, and encourages one to think broadly about how one can approach a bereaved person... this was a book I enjoyed reading very much, and which I found both theoretically sound and practically helpful′ - Bereavement Care (Cruse) Counselling for Grief and Bereavement, Second Edition is a bestselling, introductory guide for professionals who work with people experiencing bereavement through death and other forms of loss. Focusing on practical assessment and intervention strategies, Geraldine Humphrey and David Zimpfer guide readers through the essential theory and skills needed to work with clients in a way which sensitively facilitates the process of grief, initiates healing and promotes a sense of growth. Setting out the broad principles for practice, the authors go on to show how these can be applied in working with individuals, families and groups and in relation to specific issues including chronic and life-threatening illnesses, palliative care and complicated grief. Carefully chosen case examples illustrate the counselling process, while specific attention is paid throughout to ethical considerations and the possible need for referral. This fully revised and updated Second Edition features a new chapter on working with children and adolescents: both from the perspective of young people who are grieving losses and those who are receiving palliative care as patients. While focusing on the practical, the book provides a firm theoretical base by explaining key concepts such as attachment, grief and resilience. Geraldine M. Humphrey is Counsellor in the Department of Psychology at the North Canton Medical Foundation, specializing in death, illnesses, and non-death and grief. David G. Zimpfer is former Director of the Cancer Center of Ohio.

Ten years after the death of Elisabeth K bler-Ross, this commemorative edition of her final book combines practical wisdom, case studies, and the authors' own experiences and spiritual insight to explain how the process of grieving helps us live with loss. Includes a new introduction and resources section. Elisabeth K bler-Ross's On Death and Dying changed the way we talk about the end of life. Before her own death in 2004, she and David Kessler completed On Grief and Grieving, which looks at the way we experience the process of grief. Just as On Death and Dying taught us the five stages of death--denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance--On Grief and Grieving applies these stages to the grieving process and weaves together theory, inspiration, and practical advice, including sections on sadness, hauntings, dreams, isolation, and healing. This is "a fitting finale and tribute to the acknowledged expert on end-of-life matters" (Good Housekeeping).

Working With the Bereaved summarizes the major themes in bereavement research and clinical work and uses the authors’ own cutting-edge research to show mental-health practitioners how to integrate these themes into their practice. It provides clinicians with a framework for exploring their own emotional and intellectual assumptions about loss and bereavement, and it goes on to summarize state-of-the-art thinking in the field. The heart of the book focuses on the theoretical and clinical implications of the empirically validated Two-Track Model of Bereavement, as well as a variety of therapeutic techniques designed to help the bereaved both reapproach life and manage their continuing bonds with the deceased. The later chapters examine methods for integrating systems and family perspectives in therapy, for attending to the implications of culture and religion, and for meeting crises and emergencies in bereavement care. The concluding chapter addresses self-care, well-being, and resilience, offering practical guidelines for both the bereaved and those who treat them.