Bereavement Care 

Abstract: In recent decades research evidence on the experience of grief has led to a broadening of attention from the traditional focus on an emotional journey from distress to ‘recovery’. This article looks at how early stage theories of grief came to be rejected and examines more recent theories which also consider the cognitive, social, cultural and spiritual dimensions of grief and loss. It goes on to highlight emerging trends in bereavement theory, potential complications of grief, and the evidence for the efficacy of grief interventions.

Abstract: As Facebook's popularity grows and endures, many profiles are becoming gravemarkers of the dead, scattered among the profiles of the living. The integration of Facebook usage into many people's everyday lives makes it unsurprising that ongoing interaction by the living with deceased persons’ profiles is increasingly commonplace, but this is little studied. This research undertook qualitative document analysis of 943 posts on five ‘in-memory-of’ Facebook groups and an interpretative phenomenological analysis of three interviews with bereaved Facebook users. Four themes arose: (1) modes of address, (2) beliefs about communications, (3) experience of continuing bonds, and (4) nature and function of the Facebook community. The article has a threefold aim: (1) to contextualise the findings within a sociologically focused version of the continuing bonds theory of bereavement; (2) to argue that Facebook, as a modern-day ‘medium’, may supplant more traditional ‘mediator deathworkers’; and (3) to enhance ...

Abstract: Series editor's preface Foreword by Colin Murray Parkes Introduction Family care and family grief A typology of family functioning Conducting family focused grief therapy (FFGT) Common themes that arise during FFGT A typical encounter of therapy Challenges and problems in the delivery of FFGT The impact of specific life events upon families The ethical dimension Clinical application of the FFGT model Appendix 1 The Family Relationships Index (FRI) Appendix 2 Tables of results from the Melbourne Family Grief Studies Bibliography Index.

Abstract: A primary task for those helping bereaved people is to determine whether or not the survivor's reaction to a loss is within the realm of a normal adjustment. This decision can then guide the way in which grief should be managed. Complicated and uncomplicated grief reactions are described here in an attempt to help bereavement carers to distinguish between these two paths of adaptation, and suggestions made for treatments which may help those suffering from complicated grief.