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Articles:

Bereaved Military Family Members and Veterans Invited to Participate in Grief Study

Guest Column by Stephen J. Cozza, M.D Memorial Day is coming and our nation will pause to honor the service and sacrifice of our fallen military service members. Deaths in the decade after September 11, 2001 largely resulted from sudden and violent causes, including combat, accidents, and suicide. Even during peacetime, deaths in the military can often come unexpectedly and suddenly, taking young people in the prime of their lives. Those who grieve such losses shoulder a heavy burden. While most people can and do integrate loss into their lives and find joy again, some continue to suffer for years […]

Dianne Gray: When a Child is Diagnosed with a Life Limiting Illness

The president of Hospice and Healthcare Communications, Dianne Gray, speaks with the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) about the process of having a child that’s diagnosed with a life-limiting illness. Her condolences come first. There was a time when Gray herself was the parent of such a child. “Get ready for the ride of your life,” she says. There will never be a time again when life seems limitless. There won’t be birthday cakes and candles where everyone looks forward to the future with eager anticipation. Every day is a gift now, and the entire family will get […]

Participants Needed for Study on Physician Behavior After a Loss

We are writing to invite you to participate in a study about your loss and the experiences you may have had in contacts with a physician following the loss. We are inviting people bereaved from all causes of death. At this point, we don’t know much about the experience that bereaved individuals have in their contacts with physicians after the loss. It is our hope that your participation in this study will help us to better understand the experiences that people have in contacts with physicians after losing a loved one. We intend to use the results to inform recommendations […]

Cobwebs in December

By Catherine Lee It feels like a losing battle. Grief is like cobwebs: I am always running into stray bits stretched across my backdoor. No matter how often I attack the baseboards or upper corners of the living room, reaching my broom and duster, no matter how proficient I become at managing my daily domestic tasks I am bound to find new constructs in unexpected places—or even right out in the open for everyone to see. Sometimes the house spiders work in broad daylight, putting on a show. Shameless. Often, they are busy at night when others are sleeping, anxious […]

Traumatic Grief: Are You At-Risk for Post-Traumatic Stress

Special article by Jill Harrington LaMorie, MSW, LCSW, DSW This article was first published in Volume 17 Issue 2 of TAPS Magazine. Reprinted with permission. Imagine driving down the street and crossing an intersection. You glance quickly left and right, but out of nowhere you are hit by an oncoming vehicle. The impact is painful, crushing, debilitating. It takes your breath away and spirals you out of control for what seems like an eternity. Spinning, spinning, spinning, you finally come to a stop and have the sudden realization that you have survived. Time stands still; everything around you is in […]

Adult Sibling Loss: Interview with Dr. Brenda Marshall

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Dr. Brenda Marshall about adult sibling loss. Brenda got into this field when her younger brother Brent died eight years ago. It was then that she realized there’s not very much support for siblings. That realization called on her to ask the question “Why?” and “What can I do about it?” I asked Brenda why she thinks people don’t understand how significant a sibling loss is. Hear Brenda’s response in the video below. Here are some key takeaways from the video: For one thing, a lot of […]

Teens and Homicide: Interview with Dr. Tashel Bordere

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Dr. Tashel Bordere about her work with teens and the effects of homicide on their lives. In the video below, Tashel shares some of the most important things she has learned during her work with teens and homicide. Here are some key takeaways from the video: Youth are very disenfranchised in terms of not getting a lot of the services they need. This stems from myths and stereotypes that youth don’t have feelings surrounding the multiple losses they have experienced. Tashel says one of the main things […]

Phases of Recovery from Child-Loss

The death of a loved one is far worse than any physical pain that we can imagine. I wrote a book called An Angel is Born. The book was inspired by the death of my sister’s child, who passed away in 2011. The theme of the book is parents who lose their children before their own death. I would like to share with you some of the phases of recovery that I’ve experienced with her parents. At this point, their lives take on a different dimension. Time for them is like a cog of slow grinding gears. Time flows for […]

Bereaved Mother Conducting Research on Child-Loss, Seeking Participants

Judy Hefren is a doctoral candidate at Florida State University, College of Social Work, whose only son died in 2007 at the age of 17. She is conducting research in hopes of gaining a better understanding of how and to what extent the significance that parents place on the belongings of their child who has died impacts the grief process. Her hope is that this research may in some way help parents make these difficult decisions about belongings following the death of a child. If you are comfortable in doing so, Judy would appreciate it if you would consider completing […]

Survivors Left by Suicide Have Special Grief

By Father Charles Ruby As we begin a new year, the holidays are over and survivors of a completed suicide breathe a collective sigh of relief. The holidays very often are a very painful time. There are no more holiday gatherings where there is an aura of gaiety. Survivors no longer have to put on the happy face while inside there is a broken and heavy heart. Attending many of these gatherings is done under duress and not wanting to hurt the feelings of family and friends. The invitations are sent hoping that survivors will attend but there is understanding […]

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