In this article we explore the grieving-through-writing process of two researchers who dialogue about spousal loss. Drawing on the idea that bereavement requires meaning-making, we engage in an interview-style conversation about how: (1) we each made sense of our spouse's death; (2) experienced Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) as described by Calhoun…

Transformational learning theory is a cornerstone within the field of adult education. However, are all learners ready for their disorienting dilemma which instigates transformational learning? To answer this question, this autoethnographic paper unpacks an adult learner's personal journey on a research expedition to Antarctica. Using Antarctica…

While grief is often perceived as an individual phenomenon, the grievers' family context before and after the death of a family member is always a stage set of their grief reactions. Operating from both meaning reconstruction and systemic perspectives, two case vignettes illustrate how the mourners' grief and adaptation were not only shaped by who…

During the Second World War, Nordic countries witnessed a large-scale displacement of the population as around 70,000 Finnish children were evacuated to other Nordic countries. While up to 15,000 of them did not return to Finland, the majority travelled back, carrying multiple ruptures in their close relationships: first from their biological…

Objectives: Engaging people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) in relation to issues of bereavement and loss is often seen as a complex therapeutic challenge. The author examines the barriers preventing them from engaging with the grieving process in supported ways. Methods: Through the lens of Worden's Tasks of Grief…

Despite the decline of rituals in North America, contemporary grief literature emphasises the healing potential of these practices. After my father's death, and due to my cultural hybridity as an Indo-Canadian, once the short-term western ways of mourning concluded, long-term Indian rituals offered meaningful and sustaining ways to honour my…

This study examined the relationship among projective drawings and mental health symptomatology to determine if projective drawings provide clinical utility in pet bereavement. Projective drawings, standardized questionnaires, and clinical interview results were collected from 33 adults grieving the loss of a pet. Drawings were coded into a…

The first part of this article focused on providing the reader with a general overview of the concept of time with special emphasis on understanding time's role in the structure of personality theories and their associated therapeutic approaches, as well as linking the discussion to the understanding of time in the context of psychosocial…

Prior studies have demonstrated that events causing displacement from parents--such as parental death, abandonment of the adolescent, or divorce--represent a risk factor for adolescent suicide, but research to date has not established a theoretical model explaining the association between parental displacement and adolescent suicidal behavior. The…

Many students experience a personally significant loss of some nature during the school year. While some losses may appear trivial to adults, other losses are life-changing, such as the death of a loved one, and, compounded by normative developmental changes and transitions, may negatively impact students' emotional well-being, behavior, and…

In the context of AIDS, the Botswana Government has adopted a group therapy program to help large numbers of orphaned children cope with bereavement. This study explores the effectiveness of the therapy and examines how it interacts with cultural attitudes and practices concerning death. Ten orphaned children were involved in five rounds of data…

This study examined pre- and postconflict data from 84 children, ages 3-7 years, living in Kibera, Kenya, during the December 2007 political conflict. Results indicate that children's disaster experiences (home destruction, death of a parent, parent and child harm) are associated with adjustment difficulties and that emotion regulation is an…

Death, illness, divorce, abuse--any degree of loss is unpleasant to discuss, unpleasant to think about. Yet, no one is exempt from the misfortunes that accompany life's journey. This includes gifted children, who at times may be perceived as self-sufficient and smart enough to figure out their own problems even if they are overwhelmingly upset…

We use prospective couple-level data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples to assess the extent to which spouses concur in their assessments of marital quality (N = 844) and whether discrepancies in spouses' marital assessments affect the bereaved spouse's psychological adjustment 6 months after loss (n = 105). Spouses' assessments of marital…

Adolescents experiencing the death of a parent face additional challenges in navigating the physical, mental, emotional, and social adjustment associated with adolescent development. This review explores the impact of parental death on adolescent development and offers empirical support for counseling interventions. Factors addressed include…