Understanding Bereavement
How are we to understand bereavement? Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to explain it. Perhaps the most influential and well-known theory has been that of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, who in her 1969 book “On Death and Dying” focused on an emotional transition through five stages, beginning with denial and progressing through anger, bargainingand depression before arriving at acceptance. The […]
Helping Children Cope with Grief
By Dr Bill Webster It is important to note that children have many questions about death, and these are usually different than the ones that occur to adults. Children’s questions deserve simple, straight forward answers. The first task of a grieving child is to make sense of the factual information about how the loss occurred. […]
The Loss of a Spouse
By Dr Bill Webster A 50/50 chance, to any gambler, is a pretty good bet. But did you ever stop to think that if you are in a significant relationship, there is a 50/50 chance that you will eventually grieve the loss of your partner. Listen to some of the stories of people who experienced […]
Dealing with Special Days and Holidays
By Dr Bill Webster You probably heard the expression “Some days are diamonds, some days are stones”. When you are grieving, there is no question that some days are more difficult than others. Many people don’t realize that grief comes and goes. Let me illustrate. If you get a sore throat, it is painful for […]
Is a Viewing Necessary?
Most people have heard the old saying, “Seeing is believing,” but many people also have lived through a life experience that gave them a deep, emotional understanding of this simple phrase. Consider what happens when parents receive a call from their child’s school saying that their child has been hurt on the schoolyard. They’re told […]