Monday, February 28, 2011

Dr. Alan Wolfelt Responds to "The Truth About Grief "

The following is written by Alan D. Wolfelt, and with his permission I am pleased to reprint it here.

A new face has appeared in an old debate. The new face: Ruth Davis Konigsberg, author of the recently published book The Truth About Grief. The old debate: the art of caring for people in grief versus the supposed science of bereavement.

Konigsberg, a journalist who has written for popular magazines such as Glamour and ELLE, takes issue with the need for grief counseling. She informs readers of her new book that science is beginning to prove that most people are resilient enough to get through loss on their own. She questions the efficacy of grief counseling and suggests that it can actually be harmful. In the book, she refers to those of us who support people in grief as a “cottage industry” and, in referencing my body of contributions to death education and counseling, lays claim to my motivations. She conjectures that those of us who became caregivers to people in grief because we suffered prior losses in our own lives do not have the objectivity to embrace a more scientific approach to grief care.

Understanding Grief: New Video from Hospice Foundation of America

Understanding Grief, a new 25-minute video from Hospice Foundation of America (HFA), offers a detailed look at a subject that will affect all of us at some point in our lives. Frank Sesno, a former CNN Correspondent and current host of HFA's Living with Grief® educational series, pulls together the expertise of Ken Doka, PhD, a recognized expert in the field of grief and loss, and the experiences and observations of Maria Shriver, former First Lady of California and member of the Kennedy family whose many experiences with grief were anything but private, into an interesting and informative presentation, with easy-to-digest explanations and useful tips for people who are grieving and those who want to help them. The program is subtitled for the hearing impaired, and is available at the Hospice Information Center or watch below. It was produced with funding from a grant by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Caregiving and Hospice, February 20 - February 26

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • Kevin Pho, MD: Be vigilant in checking sources of health information on the Web!!

Understanding and Managing Grief, February 20 - February 26

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Coping with Pet Loss, February 20 - February 26

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Coping with Pet Loss, February 13 - February 19

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Understanding and Managing Grief, February 13 - February 19

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Caregiving and Hospice, February 13 - February 19

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • To reduce caregiving stress, try laughing out loud, via Leeza's Place Caregiver Support Blog,

Monday, February 14, 2011

Daddy's Girl Saves Family Lessons -- and Mushy Valentines

Note: This article was written by Alicia King (the Grief Lady) and is reprinted here with her permission.

I admit it. I was always a daddy's girl. Don't get me wrong. I was very close to my mom, too. I was lucky. I had two loving, involved parents. Still, my dad and I were tight. When my parents split, I couldn't bear to see him alone, so I left our cushy family home and slept on the lumpy couch of his rental house. I sought his approval and was always thrilled to see him in the audience of a school play or the sidelines of a little league game. 

My dad always bought sentimental Valentine's Day cards for my mom, sister and me. The serious, mushy kind. I remember one year his girlfriend bought funny cards for them both to sign. I eventually worked up the nerve to tell him I missed the old ones. He smiled and said he liked those better too, and went back to them after that.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Understanding and Managing Grief, February 6 - February 12

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • Wonderful example of animal assisted therapy (AAT): Dog Comforts Grieving Families,  Video by KVVU Las Vegas

Caregiving and Hospice, February 6 - February 12

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Coping with Pet Loss, February 6 - February 12

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • New England Pet Hospice: A Pragmatist’s View of Complementary and Alternative Medicine,

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Grief Rituals Can Help on Valentine's Day (Or Any Special Day)

[Reviewed and updated February 16, 2024]

Part of my mourning is not “hanging out" with memories of the last years of mother’s life as dementia wreaked havoc.  I am not ignoring the memories.  I am not afraid to go there.  I just don’t stay long if I am summoned by a particular painful memory. ~ Harold Ivan Smith, in Grieving the Death of a Mother 

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Coping with Pet Loss, January 30 - February 5

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Understanding and Managing Grief, January 30 - February 5

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • Excellent, informative Understanding Grief video available from Hospice Information Center,

Caregiving and Hospice, January 30 - February 5

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • Beautiful post by daughter coping with mother's Alzheimer's: Listening to My Mother,