SWK 350 Loss, Grief, and Bereavement: Grief

Following a life shattering experience, a child enters upon a confusing emotional journey that can be likened to a prism of many colors of dark feelings like sadness and fear, but also warm feelings of love and courage. The way they deal with these feelings has a lasting impact on their life as they grow. The Colors of Grief explores strategies for supporting a grieving child to ensure a healthy growth into adulthood. Drawing on the latest research in neurology and psychology, Janis Di Ciacco illustrates the child's grieving process using a model of development that employs 'key stages'. These range from preverbal infancy (0-2 years) through to early adulthood (about 25 years). She shows how a child's progress through these stages can be impaired by an early encounter with loss, which can contribute to cognitive, emotional and social difficulties. Drawing connections between bereavement, attachment issues and social dysfunction, the author suggests easy-to-use activities for intervention at each key stage, including infant massage, aromatherapy and storytelling. This is a revealing and accessible book for both parents and professionals working with, or caring for, bereaved infants, children or young adults.

Life under terror : Israeli songs in music therapy -- The role of Israeli songs in coping with collective and personal grief -- The courage to die. Nathaniel : a terminal cancer patient -- Where have all our flowers gone? music therapy with a bereaved mother and widow -- The relation between art music, death, and grief -- Bobby laments his grandfather -- To be afraid of your own shadow -- Mother, the white dove -- Edwin, who murdered his wife in a psychotic attack -- The grief of the therapist over patients who passed away.

Speaks to the experience of caring for a loved one with a terminal illness and the difficulties of encountering death.

Being able to offer support to the bereaved is an important part of many frontline professions, such as nurses, teachers, funeral directors and anything in between. Yet very little theoretical information about grief has filtered down into mainstream knowledge, and what has is often misinterpreted. Giving an accessible introduction to modern day grief theory, this book is the perfect guide to grief for counsellors, anyone wishing to support the bereaved, or the griever curious to how their grief works. Debunking commonly believed myths with information on how grief can vary from person to person, advice on communicating with the bereaved and details on the different kinds of grief, this book is an essential read for anyone working with the bereaved.