Death & Grief
These articles offer insightful and vulnerable accounts of people living through loss, from anticipated deaths to more sudden tragedies, who were helped in therapy. They explore topics from the intersection of attachment and grief to the pain of anniversaries and the ways in which old traumas can be reactivated by new bereavements. In these pieces, you'll find frameworks for acknowledging and navigating the complexities of grief in therapy. Learn from grief experts as they offer guidance on making meaning in the disorienting wake of loss.
A specialist in grief and dying gets an early lesson on what makes up a full life. Read more
I've been in full-time private practice for almost 30 years. In that time, three patients in my practice killed themselves. Each suicide has left me... Read more
By Candyce Ossefort-Russell - I was appalled when I encountered the heavily publicized resilience book by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Option B: Facing... Read more
For most of us, death is a subject hovering in the shadows of our lives, willfully ignored until it’s suddenly standing rudely before us, the world’s worst... Read more
How Kübler-Ross’s stage model of dealing with loss can help grieving clients heal. Read more
Margaret Nichols gives intimate insights into her own journey pursuing therapy in the aftermath of her daughter’s passing. Read more
For 17 years, managing responses to death has become part of my work, whether originally my intention or not. I’ve aspired to helping families hang tough... Read more
A daughter marvels as her mother goes from grief to an exuberant rebirth. Read more
David Kessler has spent his career helping people all over the world deal with death. In the process, he’s learned that—as much as we may resist... Read more
Sometimes the places we long to visit speak to needs that go much deeper than our appetite for exotic sights. Read more
In a very dark corner of each of our minds is a voice that says, “I’m going to die. One day, I’m going to die.” How we react to this voice determines... Read more
For existential therapist Irvin Yalom, even depth-oriented therapy doesn't go deep enough. Read more
Throughout our lives, our pets are our most unassuming teachers. Read more
Letting go of our childlike fascination with the promise of the future is one of the hardest challenges of truly being in the moment. Read more
Few of us instinctively know what to do and say when families are confronting the death of a loved one. But we can start by being with them in the struggle. Read more
Grieving the departed will always elicit startling feelings and strange behaviors. It may be less about truth than about timing. Read more
"Complicated grief" resulting from unresolved guilt, anger, shame, and regret can fester on for many years. Read more
Kumar answers a question about how to deal with clients who have suffered devastating losses. The first thing a therapist must do is to reassure the client by... Read more
I nod numbly as I try to absorb the image of building a coffin for one's child. [Eric]'s son, Paul, is 15 years old. He's slowly dying from a brain tumor. n... Read more
Therapists often assume that people going through grief or trauma must always emotionally work. But through the experience if they are to recover, recent... Read more
In our technological society, real death is hidden away while fantasized deaths are available for viewing in dizzying numbers. It's time to separate our... Read more
Stop making sense and allow yourself the luxury of tears. Read more
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