Many people who usually function well are thrown for a loop when a parent dies. They're surprised at the complex feelings of love, loss, anger, and guilt, and at the unresolved issues that emerge. Therapist Lois Akner explains why the loss of a parent is different from other losses and, using examples from her experience, shows how it is possible to work through the grief. Anyone who is going through or trying to prepare for this natural, normal, inevitable loss will find How to Survive the Loss of a Parent a powerful, healing message.
Mental health clinicians, counselors, educators, child-care professionals, and others can perform an enormous service to bereaved infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, and to their families. This book offers a compassionate yet practical guide to the assessment and treatment of young children who have experienced the death of a parent or primary caregiver.
The death of a parent brings a special kind of grief. When a parent dies, we lose a unique connection with our roots, our past, our identity and our childhood - and we are forced to confront our own mortality. Often the practicalities of bereavement take over, leaving us unable to focus on the complex realities of this loss, or platitudes and easy answers are proferred, distracting us from the grieving process. The work of grief, in fact, can take years and may change our view of life profoundly. Losing a Parent looks at how we may find meaning in what has happened. It covers both terminal illness and sudden death, helps you to navigate feelings of abandonment, and to understand the new family dynamics after loss. It will show you how, where and when to seek further support and offer you the reassurance you need to actually get on with your life after this difficult and painful time.
When a parent dies, most adults are seized by an unexpected crisis that can trigger a profound transformation. Using in-depth interviews and national surveys, Dr Umberson explains why the death of a parent has strong effects on adults and looks at protective factors that help some individuals experience better mental health following the death than they did when the parent was alive. This is the first book to rely on sound scientific method to document the significant adverse effects of parental death for adults in a national population. Exploring the social and psychological risk factors that make some people more vulnerable than others, readers will come to view the loss of a parent in a new way: as a turning point in adult development.
When a young boy learns the news of his Father's sudden death, pain and sorrow become abruptly real. His carefree childhood is instantly altered as his once 'normal' world is turned upside down. His grief carries him through a wide range of emotions until one day he finally finds healing within and a way to hold onto his memories. A highly relatable and ultimately triumphant book that helps children reflect on the loss of a parent and find a healthy way to accept and move forward.
An eloquent book that explores the impact on one's life of losing a parent as an adult, and the effect it has on families, careers, and friendships -- now in paperback. Losing a parent is an event that happens, sooner or later, to nearly everyone. Yet seldom has the impact of parental death on the identities of adult offspring been examined. This book fills that gap. Backed by her original study and filled with compelling case histories, Secunda's book explores what happens to men and women when they are on their own in ways they have never been before. She addresses myriad issues, including: What does it mean to be living without parents to please or rebel against? How does adult "orphanhood" alter relationships with one's siblings, partner, friends, children, or one's career choices? How does it reshape one's sense of self? Losing Your Parents, Finding Your Self offers the assurance that out of loss can come unforeseen gain -- that on the other side of sorrow, we can discover new hope, wisdom, and strength.
This new edition of When Parents Die will speak to bereaved children of all ages in a very accessible style. Rebecca Abrams draws on both her personal and professional understanding of parental loss to provide the reader with a compassionate and insightful exploration of the experience of losing a parent. When Parents Die has already established itself as an indispensable aid both to the bereaved seeking some understanding of their loss and to the many professionals who work with them. This new edition takes into account new research and theories and considers in more depth: *the continuing importance of the dead parent in ones life *the critical role played by the surviving parent *the experiences of younger children *the impact of divorce and adoption. Retaining its clear, direct and sympathetic style, this text will continue to appeal to the bereaved, their friends and family, counsellors, social workers, doctors, nurses and teachers.
A powerful exploration of grief and resilience following the death of the author's son that combines memoir, reportage, and lessons in how to heal Everyone deals with grief in their own way. Helen Macdonald found solace in training a wild goshawk. Cheryl Strayed found strength in hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. For Carol Smith, a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist struggling with the sudden death of her seven-year-old son, Christopher, the way to cross the river of sorrow was through work. In Crossing the River, Smith recounts how she faced down her crippling loss through reporting a series of profiles of people coping with their own intense challenges, whether a life-altering accident, injury, or diagnosis. These were stories of survival and transformation, of people facing devastating situations that changed them in unexpected ways. Smith deftly mixes the stories of these individuals and their families with her own account of how they helped her heal. General John Shalikashvili, once the most powerful member of the American military, taught Carol how to face fear with discipline and endurance. Seth, a young boy with a rare and incurable illness, shed light on the totality of her son's experiences, and in turn helps readers see that the value of a life is not measured in days. Crossing the River is a beautiful and profoundly moving book, an unforgettable journey through grief toward hope, and a valuable, illuminating read for anyone coping with loss.
The topics range from the psychological responses to a parent's death such as shock, depression, and guilt, to the practical consequences such as dealing with estates and funerals.
