Susan Berger

Susan A. Berger, LICSW, Ed.D. has extensive experience counseling individuals confronting the death of loved ones and other life changes. Drawing on research results and anecdotes gathered from the bereaved over the past ten years, Berger examined how a person’s worldview is affected by major loss. She wrote her book, The Five Ways We Grieve, finding your path to healing after the loss of a loved one, (Trumpeter Books, 2009) to assist professionals, and survivors and the general public understand the lifelong impact of loss on the bereaved. She founded The Center for Loss, Bereavement, and Healing in Framingham, MA, a clinical practice, helping individuals, couples and families cope with life stresses. She also provides workshops on her unique approach to lifelong grieving to professionals, such as physicians, psychologists, social workers, nurses and hospices, as well as presentations to community groups. She has published articles in professional and trade publications, as well as many media, including The Washington Post on mental health, substance abuse, health and human resources topics. She has also been cited nationally in numerous print and broadcast media, and has spoken at many conferences and workshops throughout the country. Previous experience includes academic appointments at Emmanuel College, Northeastern University, Merrimack College, and MassBay Community College. Dr. Berger earned her Doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as well as a Master’s degree in Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Boston University. To enhance her expertise in the area of loss and bereavement, she earned a Certificate in Thanatology (Death, Dying & Bereavement) from the National Center for Death Education at Mt. Ida College in Newton, MA. Dr. Berger has volunteered as a hospice volunteer working with the dying and bereaved families. She is herself the survivor of early parental loss.

Articles:

Impact of Both Parents’ Deaths

This is an excerpt from The Five Ways We Grieve, by Susan Berger, available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon:   Although I have been an orphan for more than half […]

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Creating a New Identity

This is an excerpt from The Five Ways We Grieve, by Susan Berger, available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon: Confronting the reality of having to live a changed life requires […]

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Fear Comes From Loneliness; Don’t Grieve Alone

This is an excerpt from The Five Ways We Grieve, available at Barnes & Noble, and Amazon: When we lose a loved one, fear is one of the strongest emotions we feel. […]

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Natural Disasters Leave Grief Among the Ruins

The havoc wrought by recent natural disasters  – hurricanes in Houston and Florida,  the US Virgin Islands  and Puerto Rico, wild fires in Northern California, the earthquakes in Mexico — […]

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After Boston, is Anyone Safe?

When I saw my daughter’s question on facebook after the Boston Marathon Bombing last week, I knew she was expressing a universal feeling of sadness and anxiety about the world […]

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Tornado Losses Include People, Homes, Memories

Watching on TV the havoc wrought by the tornadoes in Missouri and Oklahoma reminded me of how destructive natural disasters can be to those affected by them.  Not only were […]

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Grieving and Resilience

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about a book by a Columbia psychology professor, George Bonnano, called The Other Side of Sadness (2009).  This book received many endorsements from […]

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Childhood Grief Can Emerge Decades Later

A woman came into my office yesterday.  She looked exhausted, and explained that she wanted to consult with me about her 91-year-old mother who had recently been diagnosed with early […]

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New Year Offers Chance at New Beginning

“Christmas Eve was the hardest.”  I am so grateful for my friends.”  “I made it through.” “Thank goodness, the holidays are over.” These were some of the expressions I heard […]

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Is this Really the Season to Be Jolly?

Tis the season to be jolly. This verse from the Christmas song “Deck the Halls,” belies the sadness that many people feel during the winter holiday season.  Many folks are […]

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