Grief therapy and psychology literatures of the modern Western world conceptualized bereavement and grief as processes to be "worked through" so that other relationships could be pursued. In the last decade or so, however, grief theorists have endorsed the value of attaining new meaning(s) and continuing bonds with our lost loved ones instead of…

Proponents and opponents of euthanasia have argued passionately about whether it should be legalized. In Australia in the mid-1990s, following the world's first legal euthanasia deaths, Dr. Philip Nitschke initiated a different approach: a search for do-it-yourself technological means of dying with dignity. The Australian government has opposed…

Investigated bereaved spouses' assessments of participation in self-help groups consisting of 8 weekly meetings with (n=52) or without (n=82) additional 10 monthly meetings. Regardless of group duration or leadership by professional or widowed peer, assessments were positive. Most commonly reported benefit participants hoped to gain was emotional…

Volunteers (n=203) obtained through Compassionate Friends newsletters completed questionnaires consisting of Purpose in Life Test, Grief Experience Inventory, and questions on meaning. Findings indicated that lower purpose in life for bereaved parents was related to less time since death, loss by suicide, loss of only child, and loss of more than…

Discusses perceptions of the bereaved that make support groups necessary and the process by which such groups work. Notes that bereavement support groups first produce sense of community with other bereaved persons, then allow group members to begin to concern themselves again with issues other than bereavement. (Author/NB)

For most adolescents, one of the joys of the teenage years is the feeling of being connected to others, not just parents. A death in the family can change that. Tragedy in the family often leaves teenagers to deal with their grief alone, as adults and younger children are given most of the attention. This book is written for teenagers and…

Paper adapted from an address before the women's groups of the National Funeral Directors Association annual meeting on October 24, 1967, in Atlantic City, N.J.

Examined relationship between fathers and mothers in a self-help group of bereaved parents, including dynamics of couples already divorced, those who divorce within a few years after their child's death, and those who remain married. Results suggest that marital relationships are not separate from whole set of dynamics associated with the death of…

Describes the Compassionate Friends self-help group as an effective intervention in the severe bereavement after the death of a child. The decision to attend the group, to affiliate, to transform oneself into a helper within the group form the framework of the description. (Author/NRB)

Describes peer support program for women in prison for the death of a child. Explains how group has helped participants reduce their isolation, mourn their loss, identify their responsibility in the death, and change destructive patterns of feelings and behavior. Follow-up of women who have been paroled is discussed which indicated their positive…

Examined relative impact of 3 intrapersonal resources (self-esteem, competencies, and life satisfaction) and duration of self-help group intervention on levels of depression and grief over time among 295 recently widowed adults. Found that, in general, resources examined had greater direct influence on outcomes than did intervention. (Author/NB)

Upon the death of a family member societally imposed role expectancies emerge. The participant observer method utilized in the context of a bereavement self-help group revealed not only the emergence of distinct roles but also five groups to which these roles were related. Generally, the group members and the groups themselves spanned a continuum…

Describes the role of the counselor in self-help groups for the bereaved. Based on experience with the Compassionate Friends, a group of bereaved parents, the counselors' most useful role appears to be that of an intermediary, resource person, and facilitator of group processes and organization. (Author/JAC)

Designed for use with accompanying videotapes as single presentations or as a series for professionals or laypeople, or as supplementary modules in academic courses in psychology, marriage and family, health occupations, etc., these four learning modules focus on common phases of dying and grief as part of the normal cycle of living. The modules…

This annotated bibliography lists approximately 150 braille books and 300 audiocassettes of books which address coping skills for people in a variety of situations. All items listed are available in the network library collections provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress.…