Volume 29, Issue 2
An International, Interdisciplinary Organization
April/May/June 2003
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT—EXPRESSIVE ARTS IN BEREAVEMENT
The Expressive Arts and the Experience of Loss
By Barbara Thompson
In considering the question of how the expressive arts can be helpful for those experiencing loss, it seems fitting to first consider “the
experience of loss.” Neimeyer (2001) describes loss of a significant
relationship as an undoing of our individual and collective life histories. Loss changes our world, changes our relations with others,
and changes our sense of self. What we once knew is no more. “We
feel uprooted. We feel homesick. We feel estranged within and
alienated from surroundings transformed by the death and our pain
and anguish” (Attig, 2001, p. 37).
In my work with people experiencing loss, and in my own life,
the following related descriptions have repeatedly come to mind in
association with acute grief: being torn apart, broken open, dislodged from ordinary space and time, disrupted, interrupted, and
set apart. These descriptions suggest a state of liminality, a place in
between or a time of transition. This discontinuity is experienced in
the literal reality of one’s daily life. Daily habits are disrupted, activities associated with valued roles are lost, and life plans are derailed in the wake of significant loss. Intimately linked to these
tangible experiences is the realm of the imagination, from which
symbols and meaning emerge. Significant loss undoes the ways we
have imagined ourselves in the world, uprooting us from the ground
of meaning that has supported our sense of interconnected wholeness (Neimeyer, 1998). In grieving, we enter a liminal realm of imagination and engage in acts of creation.
Imagination opens us to possible realities, experienced through
reflection, dream, image and fantasy. Hillman and Jung have suggested that all realities are primarily symbolic or metaphorical processes of imagination, where images and happenings are made into
particular lived experiences (Hillman, l975). We are transformed
through our telling of the story, whether that telling is in word,
visual image, bodily gesture, musical rhythm, dramatic enactment,
or ritual. Neimeyer (1998) suggests that “telling and retelling our
story in the context of listeners who care” can support the evolution of regenerative narrative (p. 54). Given proper conditions, this
process helps us experience the loss and recreate a uniquely textured
world of meaning that restores our connections with self and others.
The discipline and practice of art can provide a container for
narratives emerging from the imaginal realm. Images are seen, heard,
or touched simultaneously by both “artist” and “witness.” Within
the framework of the therapeutic relationship and the boundaries
of the artistic discipline, the embodied image becomes a transforThe Forum • April/May/June 2003
mational force. A picture can invite the viewer to come closer, a
sound can evoke feeling, or the worded response can elicit new
understandings (Levine, 2000). Responses to the image are kept
aesthetic and metaphoric, rather than explanatory and reductive.
The therapist’s role is to widen and deepen the “range of play” by
engaging the self-organizing activities of the imagination (Knill,
2000, p. 12). The approach to art making is “low skill, high sensitivity,” with an attitude of reverence for the potential reawakening of
our imaginal lives (Knill, 2001, p. 74).
Using the Expressive Arts
The expressive arts can be used within the therapeutic dyad, and
with small groups or communities of various kinds. The following
is a description of a workshop held on September 13, 2001. Participants were thirteen occupational therapy students (two men and
eleven women, ages twenty to forty-five) from The Sage Colleges
in Troy, New York. We were scheduled to meet for a Psychosocial
Assessment and Intervention class. I elected to postpone the lecContinued on page 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Professional Development
The Expressive Arts and the Experience of Loss .......................... 1
The Healing Power of Music in Bereavement ................................ 4
Touching Souls: Healing with Bereavement Photography ............ 6
Photo Therapy with the Bereaved .................................................... 7
Using Literary Resources in Bereavement Work:
Evoking Words for Grief .............................................................. 8
Case Studies ......................................................................................... 1 0
Association News
Editor’s Note ........................................................................................ 7
Summary of Board Meetings in Cincinnati .................................... 1 1
Reflections from the Past President ............................................... 1 2
Upcoming Themes ............................................................................ 1 2
2003 Student Paper Awardees .......................................................... 1 2
Incoming President’s Remarks ........................................................ 1 3
In Memoriam ...................................................................................... 1 4
Thanks to Outgoing Board Members .............................................. 1 4
Advanced Credential .......................................................................... 1 4
What’s New ......................................................................................... 1 5
Specialty Workshops — Call for Abstracts .................................... 1 6
2003 ADEC Award Recipients ......................................................... 1 6
1
ADEC Board Roster 2003-2004
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(2003-04) [email protected]
Oversight: Task Forces, Professional Affairs, Leadership Recruitment & Development
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Mission Statement: The Association for Death
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Cookbook
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be obtained from ADEC headquarters,
from the Web site, or from Sherry
Schachter: [email protected].
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
The Expressive Arts and the Experience of Loss
Continued from page 1
ture and provide students with a structured opportunity to respond
to the events of September 11th. The workshop sequence with
commentary follows below:
Check-in. Using an abbreviated form of the “talking circle,”
each person was given several minutes to speak. Listeners were
asked to give their full attention to each speaker without responding verbally. We went around the circle until all had spoken. Some
described the events of 9-11 as “dreamlike” and “unreal.” One participant feared that she would not “be able to hold it together,”
others cried. Another said she had “wondered if anyone on campus would talk about this.” Several people expressed concerns for
relatives and friends in NYC. Others described worries about the
possibility of a world war or a draft, concerns for their children, and
fears of future terrorist attacks. Several people spoke of a “loss of
innocence” and said, “the world will never be the same again.”
Movement based warm-up. Participants were asked to find a
comfortable place in the room. Then, they were guided through a
series of awareness exercises using the breath and movement as
the objects of awareness. Voice and sound related exercises were
difficult for most. Humming together was easier and resulted in
several people releasing tension through laughter.
Painting. Paper in rolls, tempera paint, brushes, and sponges
were supplied. Participants were allowed to choose the size of their
paper, and were given instructions on how to approach the painting process. No theme was suggested and they were asked to
refrain from conversation while painting for 40 minutes. Everyone
became immersed in the painting process.
Dialogue with the image. Using an approach described by Shaun
McNiff (l992), participants worked in triads and conversed with
images in their paintings. One person took dictation, another was
the facilitator, and a third person gave “voice to the images” in his
or her painting. Examples of prompts: “If the images in your painting could speak, what would they say? If you could ask the painting one question, what would you ask? If the painting could respond to your question, what would it say?” The total time per
triad was l5 minutes. Each person in the triad had the opportunity
to speak, facilitate, and witness the process.
Poetic response. Each person was given a transcript of their
dialogue with the painting. Using this, each created a poetic response to the process.
Bearing witness as a group. We gathered in a circle next to a
display of the paintings and poems. Each person was asked to
present their painting, without interpretation, and to read their poem
for the group. Most read their poems quickly, with little inflection
or intonation in their voices, and with few attempts to look at members of the group. Participants were then asked to read their poems
for a second time, slowly, while making eye contact with others.
People were more expressive with their second readings, at times
adding musical rhythm and beat to their renderings. This seemed to
further amplify the meaning of the words and the sense of cohesiveness within the group.
Closing round. We returned to the “talking circle.” I asked people
to “say whatever needed to be said to close.” Everyone expressed
appreciation for the opportunity to be together. Other typical comments were, “I didn’t think this would help, but I was surprised by
how helpful this was” and “I don’t feel so alone and know now that
others are feeling the same way that I am.”
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
At the end of the semester, I wondered what had helped this
group to continue their demanding schedule of school, work, and
family responsibilities. I asked them to respond in writing to these
questions: “What are the symptoms of Acute Stress Disorder
(ASD)? After September 11th, do you think that you met the criteria
for ASD? Why or why not? What was most helpful for you during
the three months following September 11th? Please be specific.”
Their responses were as follows: Six out of thirteen students said
that they believed they had suffered from ASD. Most of these
students accurately identified symptoms meeting the diagnostic
criteria for ASD. Students reported the following as “most helpful”
to them during the preceding three months: talking with friends and
family (69%), expressive arts workshop on 9-13 (62%), relevant
lectures and discussions within the course (31%), not watching TV
(23%), giving blood to the Red Cross (23%), journaling (15%), returning to a familiar routine and activities (15%), involvement in the
creative arts (8%), visiting places in nature that felt safe (8%), psychotherapy/medication (8%). For this group, using the expressive
arts in the aftermath of September 11th appeared to have value.
The following September, the students’ paintings and poems
were exhibited in a gallery on campus that was open to the public.
One student created a memorial installation for her cousin who had
died in the World Trade Center. This memorial was placed beside
her painting and poem. The exhibit gave her and others a space and
time to revisit and retell the story of 9-11, to reflect upon the months
that had followed, and to remember.
We continue to revisit and remember 9-11. Each of us creates
our own story related to what happened, with its attendant meanings and implications. Individually and collectively we try to make
sense of our losses that day. In doing so, we seek to reconstitute
ourselves as individuals and as a nation. It is my hope that we, as a
nation, can create a narrative that is regenerative. It is my deepest
hope that this narrative can restore a sense of interconnection,
wholeness, and peace.
References
Attig, T. (2001). Relearning the world: Making and finding meanings. In
R.A. Neimeyer (Ed.), Meaning reconstruction and the experience of
loss (pp. 33-53). Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
Hillman, J. (1975). Re-visioning psychology. New York: HarperCollins.
Knill, P.J. (2000). The essence in a therapeutic process: An alternative
experience of worlding? Poiesis: A journal of the arts and
communication, 2, 6-14.
Knill, P.J. (2001). Unlimiting limits: Principles of an “Oeuvre-oriented”
expressive arts therapy. Poiesis: A journal of the arts and
communication, 3, 70-75.
Levine, E. (2000). Eros and imagination: An essay/review. Poiesis: A
journal of the arts and communication, 2, 28-31.
McNiff, S. (1992). Art as medicine: Creating a therapy of the imagination. Boston, MA: Shambhala.
Neimeyer, R.A. (1998). Lessons of loss: A guide to coping. New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Neimeyer, R.A. (2001). The language of loss: Grief therapy as a process
of meaning reconstruction. In R.A. Neimeyer (Ed.), Meaning
reconstruction and the experience of loss (pp. 261-292). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
About the Author
Barbara Thompson is on the faculty of The Sage Colleges in Troy, New
York. Some of her students’ paintings about the September 11th disaster were exhibited at the 2002 ADEC Conference in Portland, OR.
3
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT—EXPRESSIVE ARTS IN BEREAVEMENT
The Healing Power of Music in Bereavement
By Albert Lee Strickland
For the human heart and mind, music is a gift that brings hope and
comfort through even the darkest times. In the midnight hour of the
soul, when we feel most besieged by grief and alone in sorrow,
music offers solace in the recognition that, although the rhythms of
our lives fluctuate between joy and despair, the song remains.
Music’s power to offer healing in bereavement is exemplified in the
memorial service held on February 4, 2003, to honor seven astronauts
who died tragically during re-entry failure of the space shuttle Columbia. Music was enlisted to provide emotional first-aid to the 14,000
bereaved family members, friends, and colleagues who gathered at
NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, as well as to millions of broadcast viewers who collectively formed what news anchor
Tom Brokow characterized as an “ecumenical parish” united in grief.
Gathered mourners joined voices with the U.S. Air Force Band in
singing God of Our Fathers, an old hymn whose words nicely fit
the occasion, even though it was written in 1876 by Daniel C. Roberts for a centennial Fourth of July celebration. Based on a biblical
passage taken from Second Chronicles 20:6, the hymn’s opening
stanza echoes emotions likely to be familiar to celestial adventurers
whose gaze is characteristically turned heavenward:
“God of our fathers, whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies
Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.”
The lyrics of this hymn recalled to mind the sense of awe and
enthusiasm shared by the seven astronauts as they spoke, individually and collectively, about their love for space travel in interviews that were broadcast widely after the Columbia’s demise.
The service also included a stirring rendition of the “Navy
Hymn,” Eternal Father, Strong to Save, performed by the U.S.
Navy Band’s Sea Chanters. Composed in 1861 by William Whiting
of Winchester, England, as a poem for a student who was about to
sail for the United States, the “Navy Hymn” was a favorite of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and was sung at his funeral in
Hyde Park, New York, in April 1945. It was also played by the Navy
Band in 1963 as President John F. Kennedy’s body was carried up
the steps of the U.S. Capitol to lie in state. The hymn reflects the
prayers of sailors who bravely venture upon sometimes unforgiving seas, as well as of their family and friends who wait anxiously
on the shore:
“Eternal father, strong to save
Whose arm bound the restless wave,
Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!”
Over the years, new verses have been composed that extend the
metaphor of the imperiled mariner. Those who face danger in the course
of aero-nautical journeys are the focus of Mary Hamilton’s 1915 verse:
“Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky
Be with them always in the air;
4
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air!”
And space flight itself was the impetus for J. E. Volonte’s 1961 verse:
“Eternal father, King of birth
Who didst create the heaven and earth,
And bid the planets and the sun
Their own appointed orbits run;
Oh hear us when we seek thy grace
For those who soar through outer space.”
Musical Lamentations
In the context of mourning rites like the memorial held for the astronauts, hymns like these take on the nature of laments, which both
mourn the dead and enact ritual leave-taking as an essential component of grief. The ancient Greeks made a distinction between the
epikedeion over the dead body and the threnos in memory of the
dead, although the two styles can merge (Porter, 2003). Laments are
a bridge between the worlds of the living and the dead, as well as an
“invitation to mourn” that reinforces bonds between survivors in
their collective grief.
Musical lamentations draw on a wide range of styles and genres
that vary from culture to culture, just as funeral rites themselves
vary from one region or social group to another. Laments range
from improvised wailing to carefully constructed poetic tributes.
Vocally, the characteristic lament is termed keening, an emotional
expression of loss and longing. Keening is associated with Irish
mourning customs, traditionally being performed over the body
while it is in the house, during the procession to the graveyard, and
at the burial itself. In Scotland, where traditional keening was opposed by the Reformation, the bagpipe became a surrogate for the
human voice (Porter, 2003).
A careful listener discovers themes of loss and grief expressed
in music of all types. The impact of AIDS was the impetus for a
composition by John Corigliano. Epic in scope and formal in structure, Corigliano’s symphony has no real finale; rather, it just stops,
a musical statement of the fact that, thus far, there is no real resolution to this devastating disease. A companion piece, a choral work
entitled Of Rage and Remembrance, was inspired partly by the
Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt (Page, 1995).
Blues Music
Blues music is known for its predominant themes of loss and longing, trials and tribulations, separations and death. In See That My
Grave Is Kept Clean, Blind Lemon Jefferson expresses a universal
desire to be remembered kindly after death. Son House’s Death
Letter expresses regret in the wake of a loved one’s unexpected
death. In his song, I Feel Like Going Home, Muddy Waters reminds us that death may bring relief from overwhelming pain. Such
examples could be repeated many times over. It is important to note
that, even though blues lyrics typically speak of regret and sadness, the overall blues musical style tends to convey a sense of
Continued on page 5
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
The Healing Power of Music in Bereavement
Continued from page 4
ultimate well-being, a musical testimony to the inherent capacity of
human beings to cope with even the most painful tragedies.
Gospel Music
Traditional gospel music, which can be viewed as the “flip side” of
the blues, also contains powerful images of loss and grief (DeSpelder
& Strickland, 2002). Here are just a few examples: Will the Circle Be
Unbroken (death of family members), Oh, Mary Don’t You Weep
(mourning), This May Be the Last Time (impermanence of life), Known
Only to Him (facing death), When the Saints Go Marching In (afterlife), If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again (parent’s death),
and Precious Memories (adjustment to loss and continuing bonds
with the deceased). Gospel songs like these speak of overcoming
adversity, of maintaining hope despite despair. Faith in an eventual
triumph over earthly pain is a hallmark of gospel music. Such songs
of solace and hope sustain and encourage people through emotionally difficult times. Faced with intense sorrow, confused about
how to go on when life no longer seems worth living, gospel songs
like Charles Albert Tindley’s We’ll Understand It Better By and By
promise the bereaved that a time will surely come when the dark
night has passed, it is once again “morning,” and we’ll be able to
“tell the story of how we’ve overcome.” In keeping to its spiritual
roots, gospel music refuses to abandon the bereaved to hopelessness. After all, the very meaning of gospel is “good news.”
Reflection
As we cope with the losses that beset us throughout life, certain
songs and musical works bring to mind poignant memories that
refresh our grief. Whether Mozart’s Requiem or a Top 40 tune,
music has the capacity to cue the recall of happy moments shared
with loved ones whose death left us bereft. At other times, a lyric or
melody sets us thinking about our own mortality. In listening to
music of various styles and genres, it is interesting to pay close
attention to any references to death, and ask yourself: What messages are being conveyed? What attitudes are being expressed?
For the ancient Greeks, the music of lamentation was intended to
both praise the deceased and provide an emotional release for the
bereaved (Chew & Mathiesen, 2003). Music was also considered
to be a means of moderating extreme passion by means of melody.
Characterized down through the ages as the purest form of communication, music offers many priceless gifts, not least of which are
those that apply to the journey of grief.
References
Chew, G., & Mathiesen, T. J. (2003) Threnos. In The new Grove dictionary of music online. (Accessed February 20, 2003), <http://
www.grovemusic.com>.
DeSpelder, L. A., & Strickland, A. L. (2002). The last dance: Encountering death and dying (6th ed., p. 24). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Page, T. (1995, November 10). A sweet, sorrowful symphony for the
times. The Washington Post, pp. F1, F5.
Porter, J. (2003). Lament. In The new Grove Dictionary of music online.
(Accessed February 20, 2003), <http://www.grovemusic.com>.
About the Author
Albert Lee Strickland writes from Capitola, California. Together
with co-author Lynn DeSpelder, Al was a recipient of ADEC’s
2003 Death Education Award.
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The Forum • April/May/June 2003
5
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT—EXPRESSIVE ARTS IN BEREAVEMENT
Touching Souls: Healing with Bereavement Photography
By Todd Hochberg
A bereft mother and father sit side by side, tenderly cradling their
dead baby in their arms. A photographer, present at their request,
opens and closes the shutter of his camera, capturing and infusing
the energy of the moment on to a light sensitized silver-coated
copper plate. One hundred and forty years after that daguerreotype was made, we can feel that couple’s grief. Six years ago, I ran
across an example of one of these antique memorial images at a
flea market. I was struck by how evocative it was. Perhaps my
recent divorce and struggle with my own grief figured into my
attraction to collecting these photographs. I contacted a hospital
chaplain friend who worked with parents experiencing perinatal
loss and asked if I could help. My photographic work with grieving parents began soon after.
Thanatologists have posited and studies have shown that photographs can be helpful for grieving parents. Photographs of babies, some with their grieving parents, are valuable emotional touchstones and mementos for many families. For the past couple of
decades, many hospital bereavement programs have used photography in the protocol for care of these parents.
My documentary style bereavement photographs are made after delivery, in the hospital labor and delivery area or in the neonatal intensive care unit, during the private time parents have to hold
their dying or dead baby. I work to create photographs that can
serve as a gentle link to memories and feelings pertaining to the
precious short time spent with their baby. I work unobtrusively as
a willing participant, making images about this experience without
posing or staging. Though the images typically show mom and dad
with their baby, often other family and caregivers are included, and
religious rituals may be performed. These significant caring relationships and rituals are important to render and I also strive to
elucidate the emotional and spiritual energy in the room. When all
involved, including myself, are fully present and in the moment, the
images seem to make themselves. They are truly a collaboration. I
spend anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours or more with parents in support, my cameras at my sides much of the time, always
cognizant of their vulnerability and needs.
I meet with families four to six weeks following their baby’s
death for an hour or so, also inviting caregivers that parents may
have felt close with. We talk a while, reconnecting and assessing
where they are emotionally. I present an archival album of 30 to 60
black and white 8 x 10 photographs arranged chronologically. We
walk through the images together, revisiting the loss, allowing them
space to emote and comment if they wish.
During more than five years of this work, I’ve learned from parents that the photographs facilitate their grieving by:
• making their baby’s life and death real for them—a significant
issue with perinatal death and an acknowledgement so important for parents;
• validating their feelings, both at the time of their baby’s death
and up to the present;
• being an affirmation of parenthood;
6
• providing a tangible record of their time with their baby, including cherished close-up details of their baby’s physical features
and evidence of loving familial bonds;
• allowing them to connect with the many feelings and memories
that may have gotten lost in the torrent of overwhelming grief at
the time or in the weeks since;
• offering them an illustrated narrative of “their story” for themselves and the loved ones they choose to share it with, fostering greater social support and connection.
One father, whose son died after several days in the NICU,
indicated at our meeting that he was particularly anxious coming to
view the photographs, his grief being so strong. After a time of
viewing, he wound up cradling the album of photos in his arms.
Smiling through the tears running down his cheeks, he turned to
his wife and assured, “You are a good mom.”
In follow-up with one mom two years after her baby’s stillbirth,
she offered the following written comments.
I shared the photos with family and friends. My mom, sister and best
friend were in tears. In some odd way I felt satisfied that they understood
… that I did have a devastating loss…
With the photographs I can grieve my daughter. The pictures provide
me with the details of my baby…. They help me in dealing with our loss
because they make her real to me.
… I want the memories. They heal me. Yes, I have her ashes even the
clothes she wore but nothing compares to the pictures. When I miss her I
pull them out and look at her. I cry all over again. And, I think it’s healthy.”
Another couple wrote following their baby’s stillbirth:
“You have brought our son Jeremiah to life, giving him personality
and a role of his own in each record of our brief time together. You have
captured the beauty of our son. You have also captured every nuance of
emotion we experienced…every heartache, every proud moment, and especially the love.... You have validated our role in the experience by enabling us to share with our family and friends an important part of ourselves, a tale which could not be told adequately with words or even tears.
You’ve captured the transformation that took place in our lives and hearts
that night; we are not the same people we were before we met Jeremiah.”
These bereavement photographs play a significant role in helping parents grieve and heal. As time passes, the images enable
parents to hold onto precious memories even as they move forward
in their lives. Photographs also help parents find the treasure in
their adversity. They are an affirmation of these beloved babies’
lives, and held dear by bereaved parents.
About the Author
Todd Hochberg is a photographer with Advocate Health Care in
Chicago. His bereavement photographs are part of the permanent
collection of the George Eastman House International Museum of
Photography and have been featured in Life Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times. Some of Hochberg’s images may be seen in the “Perspective” section of the Santa Fe Center for Visual Art Web journal at
www.photoprojects.org
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT—EXPRESSIVE ARTS IN BEREAVEMENT
Photo Therapy with the Bereaved
By Mindy L.K. Gough
What is Photo Therapy? This set of techniques has been developing, if you will excuse the pun, since the late 1970s when clinicians
noted the power of photographs to help hurting people. The field
grew immensely with the 1993 publication of Judy Weiser’s Photo
Therapy Techniques: Exploring the Secrets of Personal Snapshots
and Family Albums. While Weiser was certainly not alone in investigating the possibilities for Photo Therapy, she produced the first
comprehensive manual for clinicians wishing to use specific Photo
Therapy techniques. Readers are directed to her work and to her
Web site (http://www.phototherapy-centre.com/) for a starting point
to study this topic. Weiser cautions that Photo Therapy should not
be undertaken lightly as the techniques can quickly lead to deep
emotional content for the client.
Photographs fit naturally in therapeutic work with bereaved
people. Even before I read Weiser’s pioneering text on Photo
Therapy some years ago, I found that bereaved clients invariably
brought pictures or photo albums to sessions to introduce me to
the loved person they had lost. Clients would use the photographs
in various ways: as a comfort, a connection to their lost one, as a
safe image on which to focus while discussing painful feelings.
This brief article will present only a snapshot of Photo Therapy and
its possibilities.
Weiser (1993) presented five areas of technique in Photo Therapy.
The first is a projective approach to photographs, in which a photograph (from the therapist’s collection or even torn from a magazine) is used to elicit response from the client. The second area of
technique outlined by Weiser is the photographic self-portrait.
She comments, “Because (self-portraits) are pictures of the self,
made by the self, they have the potential to be powerfully selfconfrontational and undeniable” (pg. 19). Weiser’s third area of
technique is working with photographs of the client taken by others. Her fourth technique involves the use of photographs taken
or collected by the client, and the fifth technique she discusses is
the use of the family album and other “autobiographical photographs”
(pg. 24). In this article, I will focus on the techniques I use most often
and readers are invited to contact me for further dialogue.
As an avid photographer myself, I have over the years amassed
a large collection of photographs that I use in my work. The subject
matter of these pictures ranges from natural landscapes, to crumpled
vehicles, animals, abstract images, gravestones and people expressing a variety of emotions. I keep a box of about two hundred such
images in my office and often pull them out when a client seems to
be finding it difficult to put feelings into words. Some of my clients,
particularly the rural men with whom I work, have scoffed initially at
the idea of using these pictures, but have frequently asked for them
later in the therapeutic process when they felt stuck without words.
To use the images, I spread them out on a table and ask the client to
randomly search through the pile until he/she finds a picture that
seems to fit with how he/she is feeling that day. I might ask the
client to find an image that best describes his/her relationship with
the deceased loved one, or to choose a picture that represents the
loved one. I might ask the client to select a picture that shows what
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
life is like without the loved one. The images act as springboards to
communication, enabling clients to bypass many of the filters that
might interfere with their ability to verbalize feelings and thoughts.
I use the client’s autobiographical photographs to facilitate a
review of the life of the person who has died, and to examine the
relationship between the client and the person who has died. Using
photographs of the deceased person reinforces the reality of the
loss while simultaneously allowing the griever to maintain a connection to the loved one. When viewing a family album, the succession of photographs leads to a succession of memories, allowing the grieving person to tell a full, detailed and complete story of
the loved one’s life without excessive questioning by the therapist.
The self-portrait has been of particular use in working with people
who are nearing the end of our counseling work, and for people
who are “stuck” in their grief process. I frequently assign selfportraits midway through the counseling process, and we use these
to talk about the client’s perception of his/her grief, philosophy of
life and sense of self. Later, when the client is ready to move away
from the counseling process, I will assign another self-portrait and
we process it similarly. Then the client is asked to compare the two
portraits and comment on the change. This simple but absolutely
powerful technique can be the catalyst for a client who had not
before recognized his/her own growth and healing. We also use
self-portraits to create a vision of the future, of where the client
wishes to be when grief is no longer debilitating.
Photo Therapy is a fascinating approach that when combined
with sound therapeutic skill can bring warmth, depth and healing to
the bereaved client.
Reference
Weiser, J. (1993). Photo Therapy Techniques: Exploring the Secrets of
Personal Snapshots and Family Albums. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
About the Author
Mindy Gough writes from Stratford, Ontario and can be reached
by e-mail at [email protected].
Editor’s Note
This issue’s professional development theme—expressive arts
in bereavement—was suggested by Kim Mooney of Boulder,
Colorado after attending a conference workshop on this topic at
the 2002 ADEC meeting in Portland. Kim did a great deal “behind
the scenes” by working directly with the Editor on concept development and then contacting potential authors.
Fran Rybarik of LaCrosse, Wisconsin has been involved similarly in preparation for a future issue of The Forum on perinatal
loss. Any ADEC member is invited to contact me
([email protected]) with an idea for a future issue. Please
keep in mind that contributors do not have to be ADEC members. Reading articles authored by individuals outside our organization helps expand our knowledge of issues pertinent to death
and dying.
7
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT—EXPRESSIVE ARTS IN BEREAVEMENT
Using Literary Resources in Bereavement Work:
Evoking Words for Grief
By Ted Bowman
When asked to free associate and call out words or phrases they
connect to grief and loss, grieving people often volunteer words
like: sad, heavy, pain, tears, overwhelmed, fear, and the like. Poets,
memoirists, fiction writers, and bibliotherapists use different words.
Poet Mary Oliver described death as the iceberg between the shoulder blades (Oliver, 1992, p.10). Dylan Thomas railed at death with
the famous evocation, “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”
(Thomas, 1996, p. 23). John Updike wrote, “And another regrettable thing about death / is the ceasing of your own brand of
magic…” (Updike, 1993, p. 231).
Understandably, grief counselors and related therapeutic professionals and volunteers turn most easily to their own disciplines
and training for words describing grief and loss. The result is that
the language of grief and bereavement is dominated by a psychological vocabulary. Poetry, according to poet R. S. Thomas, “…is
that which arrives at the intellect by way of the heart” (Thomas,
2002, p. 69). While effective therapeutic work can do the same,
literary resources can contribute to an expanded vocabulary for
talking and writing about grief. This linkage of bereavement and
literary resources will be discussed in this article.
The Case for Literary Resources
If healing includes the “storying and restorying” of lives (Tomm,
1990), then literature can enrich and facilitate grieving processes.
Stories are “the stuff” of literature. And stories invite stories. Greater
use of literary resources can therefore aid grieving people in giving
voice to their own stories of loss. Skilled writers have an ability to
find words and phrases that capture the human condition and spirit.
For example, poet Billy Collins (2002) interjected opportunities for
discussion of family of origin, continuing bonds, and ambiguous
loss in a brief poem, No Time. As he drives to work past the cemetery where his parents are buried:
“Then, all day long, I think of him rising up
To give me that look
Of knowing disapproval
While my mother calmly tells him to lie back down.” (p. 101)
The poet or essayist offers metaphor — verbal images and symbols — to describe what many mourners may have difficulty articulating themselves, even their confusion about grief and death. Nelle
Morton (1985) contends that an important helping role is to “hear
people to speech.” Such empowerment often occurs in response to
a story or metaphor with which the griever can identify.
Irish poet Eavan Boland wrote that language can be a “habitable
grief” (Boland, 1998, p. 32), a suitable setting for bereaved and
grieving people. Indeed, language and stories may be the only
container some people have for grief and bereavement. Words can
help make grief habitable, something to live in or live with. For
example, Denise Levertov likened grief to a homeless dog that hung
around, “You think I don’t know you have been living under my
porch” (Levertov, 1978, p. 43). Metaphors, such as hers, can aid
people in acknowledging their own grief.
8
Thomas Attig clearly affirmed that stories are the heart of the
matter, “Many, if not most, of the persons who share their stories of
bereavement and grieving tell me they looked for books or speeches
about what they are experiencing” (Attig, 1996, pp. 6 & 9). Pastoral
Counselor Andrew Lester confirmed that research in narrative
theory, both in psychology and theology, indicated that human
personality is storied, “We construct our sense of identity out of
stories, both conscious stories and those we suppress” (Lester,
1995, p.30) Beverly Raphael (1983) wrote:
“The words of death are…significant. The bereaved wants
not to hear them, wants them not to be said, dreads their
reality…It is as though, by not speaking of it, the death may
be reversible, untrue; and that the actual words somehow
make it real…Yet there is at the same time a desperate need to
bear and encompass the exact reality of what has happened… .”
(pp. 34-35)
Perhaps the poet Emily Dickinson best addressed this tension
between yearning for words to convey the story of grief and the
apprehension, even the fear, to do so. Bereavement workers can
learn from her words, “Tell the truth but tell it slant” (Dickinson,
1960, p. 107). Stories, poems, lines from fiction, a memoir, and the
lyrics of a song all are ways of evoking the words of death, grief,
and bereavement, but telling it “slant.”
Psychiatrist Peter Lomas (1999) purports:
“The limitation of technique is at no time more apparent
than when the therapist is faced with naked grief… in the
grip of an experience that is too painful for words... How
can one convey the deep feeling that can be aroused when
we manage to reach another’s heart? We are not poets; we
lack their gift, and we do not have their license.” (pp. 73-74)
Poet or not, bereavement workers can bring the poet to their
offices through their use of literary resources.
Clarifying and Refining the Case
Two terms have common use by those emphasizing literary resources for therapeutic purposes: poetry therapy and bibliotherapy.
Most practitioners would use the terms interchangeably. Each utilizes poetry, journals, and/or literature for healing and personal
growth. The belief and experience is that through the processes of
reading and writing, as well as sharing with others, it is possible to
access feelings, motivations, memories, and unconscious desires
and drives (cf. vanMeenen & Rossiter, 2001). The emphasis is on
the evocative use of the literary resource, not on its literary merit.
Similarly, narrative therapists White and Epston (1990) wrote,
“We have found these means (narrative and written)
to be of very great service in the introduction of new
perspective and to a range of possible worlds…in enlisting persons in the re-authoring of their lives and
relationships.” (p. 217)
Continued on page 9
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
Using Literary Resources In Bereavement Work: Evoking Words for Grief
Continued from page 8
The effectiveness of bibliotherapy, therefore, depends on the
facilitator’s ability to choose material that speaks to the individual
participant’s needs and interests, to make accurate, empathic interpretations of the participant’s responses, and, through literature
and dialogue, to draw out deeper self-understanding (cf. Hynes &
Hynes-Berry, 1986). Literary resources can be used in evocative
and responsive ways. That is, a provocative slice of fiction or memoir or a poem taken as homework or used during a pause in the
midst of a grief group can invite thought and lead to insights not
yet discussed, even ones not yet considered by the therapist.
Therefore, one key guideline is to keep in one’s awareness that
literary resources have power and should not be used without care
and a readiness to deal with what is evoked. A good quote does not
make a good therapist. Clarity about purpose in using literary
resources is crucial. Stories are not for entertainment or to impress
the griever with one’s knowledge of literature. Rather, the purpose
is to aid people in finding their own voice. Seriously ill people,
according to Arthur Frank (1995), are wounded not just in body but
in voice, “They need to become storytellers in order to recover the
voices that illness and its treatment often take away” (p. xii). The
same could be said for bereavement in many instances. A well-told/
selected story can restore voice because its very distance allows
people to entertain thoughts and feelings they might otherwise
avoid experiencing or sharing.
For example, the novelist Anne Tyler has a wonderful example of
loss overload in her novel, Breathing Lessons. While reflecting on
the immediate death of her old cat, Maggie began to think of other
missing things in her life, even the hum of the humidifier. These
ruminations led to this haunting question, “What on earth was
wrong with her? she had wondered. Would she spend the rest of
her days grieving for every loss equally — a daughter-in-law, a
baby, a cat, a machine that dries the air out?” (Tyler, 1988, p. 180).
Timely use of such a quote can cause grievers to normalize their
own behaviors and responses to loss or, at least, to discuss their
reactions to loss. Further, in my experience, a well-chosen quote
can have more power than reassuring or teaching words from the
therapist. Indeed, grieving people often remember the poem or stories long after they have forgotten the helper’s name, a humbling
realization. Such is the power of literary resources in bereavement
work.
Conclusion
In this brief article, I have advocated for greater use of literary
resources in bereavement work. Uses and cautions have also been
suggested. Organizations such as the National Association for
Poetry Therapy (www.poetrytherapy.org) can be a help to grief and
bereavement professionals, as can skilled librarians, or local poets
and writers. A grieving widow wrote that a part of her involuntary
role was learning a new language, the language of loss (Couglin,
1993). Words are at the heart of bereavement care. Expanding the
vocabulary of loss can benefit everyone.
References
Attig, T. (1996). How we grieve: relearning the world. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Boland, E. (1998). “A Habitable Grief” from The lost land: poems. New
York: W.W. Norton, p. 32.
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
Collins, B. (2002). “No Time” from Nine horses: poems. New York:
Random House, p. 101.
Couglin, R. (1993). Grieving: a love story. New York: HarperCollins.
Dickinson, E. (1960). Emily Dickinson. New York: Dell., p. 107.
Frank, A.W. (1995). The wounded storyteller: body, illness, and ethics.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. xii.
Hynes, A.M., & Hynes-Berry, M. (1986). Bibliotherapy — the interactive
process: a handbook. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Lester, A. (1995). Hope in pastoral care and counseling. Louisville, KY:
Westminster John Knox Press, pp. 29-30.
Levertov, D. (1978). “Talking to Grief” from Life in the forest. New York:
New Directions Books, p. 43.
Lomas, P. (1999). Doing good? Psychotherapy out of its depth. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, pp. 73-74.
Morton, N. (1985). The journey is home. Boston: Beacon Press.
Oliver, M. (1992). “When Death Comes” from New and selected poems.
Boston: Beacon Press, p. 10.
Raphael, B. (1983). The anatomy of bereavement. New York: Basic, pp.
34-45.
Thomas, D. (1996). “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” from The
long pale corridor: Contemporary poems of bereavement. In J.
Benson and A. Falk (Eds.). Newcastle on Tyne: Bloodaxe Books, p.
23.
Thomas, R.S. (2002). “Don’t Ask Me” from Residues. In M.W. Thomas
(Ed.). Highgreen: Northumberland UK: Bloodaxe Books, p. 69.
Tomm, K. (1990). “Foreword,” White, M. and Epston, D. Narrative
means to therapeutic ends. New York: W.W. Norton.
Tyler, A. (1988). Breathing lessons. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, p. 180.
Updike, J. (1993). “Perfection Wasted” from Collected Poems: 1953-1993.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, p. 231.
vanMeenen, K., & Rossiter, C. (2001). Giving sorrow words: Poems of
strength and solace. Washington, DC: National Association for
Poetry Therapy Foundation, p. 56.
White, M., & Epston, D. (1990). Narrative means to therapeutic ends.
New York: W.W. Norton, p. 217.
About the Author
Ted Bowman is an independent trainer and educator specializing
in change and transition who also teaches at the University of
Minnesota. He is a member of the board of directors for the National Association for Poetry Therapy.
ADEC’s Official Book Service
Serving ADEC members with more than 400 books, audios
and videos related to death, dying, loss and death
education and bereavement. Free catalog available.
Compassion Books
477 Hannah Branch
Burnsville, NC 28714
(828) 675-5909 • fax (828) 675-9687
www.compassionbooks.com
9
EXPRESSIVE ARTS IN BEREAVEMENT — CASE STUDIES
The Impact of the Expressive
Therapies on Adult Grief
Grief in Motion
By Patricia D. Isis, Ph.D.
By Delores Dalrymple Gulledge, MLS, CT
After the death of her young son, “Bonnie” discovered that she could find
solace from shattering and cutting stained glass to create multiple art objects. Despite a strong desire at times to slit her wrist, Bonnie instead broke
and reassembled many pieces of glass just as she picked up and reorganized the pieces of her life shattered by the tragedy. She came to realize that
her artwork documented and contained her grief, paralleling a process of
life-saving intervention and self-renewal. In addition, through the stained
glass and bead patterns, Bonnie accessed evidence of her strength, courage, and ability to comfort and care for herself in the face of overwhelming
sorrow. As she sold stained glass picture frames with her son’s picture in
them, she was able to tell her story over and over again and receive support
in return.
Through case study research, the experiences of Bonnie and two other
bereaved women (ages 35-50) were explored. Each turned to a specific form
of art-making in response to a significant loss. “Ellen” began to write poetry for the very first time, had music written to accompany it and performs
the songs with the band she created called Legacy in memory of her husband. “Laura” ended up sitting at the piano the night she received the
horrendous news of her daughter’s murder and she still plays the songs for
many audiences, receiving support from strangers and friends alike. In
each case, these individuals had not engaged in this form of art expression
before and had not ever believed that they had talent or competence with
their chosen medium. Rather, without forethought, specific intention, or
external guidance, these women found themselves immersed in, and literally compelled to take part in art-making following the death of a loved one.
My dissertation research (Isis, 2002) revealed four prominent categories emerging in all three cases. These themes included containment, repetition, storytelling, and connectedness. Possibly like many bereaved adults,
these women were inclined to turn to art making for comfort and recovery
following catastrophic losses. The development of personal imagery in
response to grief allows for greater insight into self. Symbolic imagery,
whether in a poem, song, or image, provides a container for unspeakable
pain in response to grief. In addition, the repetitive act of creation and
storytelling in response to the imagery—sharing one’s story of loss through
enhanced connectedness—is critical to healing. Thus, my conclusion was
that art making in response to grief strongly contributed to and facilitated
the reconciliation with loss for these women.
It is my hope that this work will provide a springboard to professionals
and the general public regarding the potential value of the creative act as a
means of therapeutic expression for grieving individuals. Demonstrating
that these three women discovered the value of the art process in the wake
of grief may inspire others to emulate their experience.
Reference
Isis, P. D. (2002). A qualitative study demonstrating the impact of the expressive
therapies on the grief process for three women through case studies.
Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, Ohio.
About the Author
Patricia Isis, Ph.D. is a Board Certified Registered Art Therapist and
Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida. Her e-mail address is
[email protected]
10
In 1990 my world fell apart. My daughter, Melanie, a 17year-old dancer, died from a brain tumor. For three years
and three months, we fought a battle we were certain we
could win. After Melanie’s death, the grief was incomprehensible, the most difficult fight of my life was before me—
the fight for survival. A close couple, my husband and I
clung to one another and to our faith. In the search for
meaning, I sought academic education to complement my
personal experience. As a part of my doctoral studies, I
spent several months during 2002 with Columbia College
Dance Department Chair Dr. Susan Haigler-Robles creating a piece called Griefsong.
With collegial effort, an original piece was choreographed
that depicted my grief experience. I am not a performer and
certainly not a dancer. The non-verbal piece spoke so powerfully of the grief experience that it needed to be witnessed.
Griefsong premiered with my husband, the recipient of my
daughter’s scholarship, and me as performers at the Fall
Faculty Dance Concert.
Analysis of Griefsong reveals evidence of the grief process from denial through reconciliation. The unlikely combination of martial arts, somatic language and dance produced a moving piece. The whole of Griefsong is a creative
synthesis composed of dance, visual art, tactile art, music,
writing and movement. Rich in imagery, symbolism and
ritual, treasures of the heart stored under lock and key are
spoken by the body even when the voice is silent.
I propose that we each have a “griefsong” after suffering a heart wrenching loss. The song of grief may arise from
the pit of one’s being as it did when I witnessed a mother
rocking and wailing over her dead son’s body. Each griefsong
is individual and may be expressed in powerful non-verbal
communication. The hearing impaired have sign language.
The suffering have grief language. Grief in motion may speak
the hurt and pain when the vocal chords are silent. The emerging and releasing emotions of grief in movement is freeing.
It is possible to choreograph the movements releasing
the emerging pain of loss. There are no specific words or
phrases that describe the relationship after a child has died.
I call the connection “grieflove” and define it as being in a
state of grief, but forever connected by love. One’s grieflove
may be expressed in a personal griefsong. The art form of
movement may speak a language that communicates feelings
from the inner recesses of one’s being. So, I advocate — bring
your grief, free your body, allow the pain to be released.
About the Author
Delores Dalrymple Gulledge, educator and grief facilitator, writes from Columbia, South Carolina. An ADEC member, she is the author of a counseling tool called Grief
Survival Guide: When You Lose Someone You Love.
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Summary of Board Meetings in Cincinnati
By Kathleen Foster-Morgan, Acting Secretary
Several recently elected members attended the ADEC Board meetings in Cincinnati: Sherry Schachter, Second Vice-President, Carolyn
Hames, Secretary, and Nancy Hogan, Rita Milburn-Dobson and
Patricia Zalaznik. Outgoing Board members Kathleen Gilbert, LaVone
Hazell, Donna Schuurman and Jack LoCicero were acknowledged
for their contributions.
On behalf of the entire membership, ADEC’s Board of Directors
extended great appreciation to Sue Berry for her past role as Chief
Staff Officer of our association. Her professionalism, warmth and
grace have served us well. Helene Weston was welcomed as new CSO.
Special thanks were extended to Shannon Holt and Howard
Winokuer, Co-chairs of ADEC’s 25th Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio for a job well done in difficult times!
The Board worked with great intensity and commitment to ensure our association grows and meets our professional and financial requirements. The following items are just some of the decisions that the Board approved or will be working on over the next
few months.
• The 2003-04 budget was balanced!
• Conference sites:
2004—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2005—Albuquerque, New Mexico
2006—Tampa, Florida
2007—Indianapolis, Indiana
• Marketing for future conferences will use the current ADEC
logo and color scheme. Use of a thematic focus for the confer-
ence program will be optional at the discretion of the conference
chairs.
• Should a granting application (CT) be rejected, the applicant will
have the choice to apply the application fee toward taking the
certification exam or to have a refund (subject to a processing fee).
• Continuation of arrangement with CONFERON to aid in negotiating hotel and conference support for the 2006 Tampa conference.
• ADEC will provide an in-kind donation to become a sponsor of
Hospice Foundation of America’s 2004 teleconference on “Living with Grief.”
• The Special Interest Groups are under review. SIG lists will be
sent to new members after joining ADEC. This will require new
members to make contact with interested chairs for details. More
information may be obtained from SIG Chair, Ann Rathbun:
[email protected]
The Leadership Recruitment and Development Committee maintains responsibility to engage the membership in dialogue to nominate candidates for elected positions. Please consider the importance of this task and suggest potential candidates to Gordon
Thornton, Al Strickland or Kathleen Foster-Morgan.
Finally, the ADEC Board of Directors acknowledged outgoing
President, Gordon Thornton, for his tireless efforts during the past
three years and welcomed new President, Kathleen G. Moore, to
what promises to be an exciting and productive year.
25th Annual Conference
March 19-23, 2003
Cincinnati, OH
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
11
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Reflections from the Past President
By Gordon Thornton, Ph.D., CT
In reflecting on my year as your president, I am
reminded of a joke. A man was told by his doctor
that he had one year left to live. In desperation, the
man went to his minister to ask what he could do
to get more time (sounds like Kubler-Ross bargaining!). The minister told the man to get an ’82 pick
up truck, marry the ugliest woman he could find,
buy an old trailer and go live in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The man
asked the minister if this would make him live longer. The minister
said, “No, but it will seem a lot longer.”
As ADEC president, my experience was just the opposite (form
of reverse psychology?). The year went extremely fast. One reason
for the speed of the year was our wonderful membership. I continue
to be amazed at the professionalism, expertise, assertiveness and
cooperation of our members. You have freely shared ideas, criticisms, questions, answers (!) and a willingness to work for ADEC.
Look at the number of our members who have participated in the
Credentialing Council – working in committee, writing test items, et
cetera. Although numerous ADEC members contribute to the running of our association, look at the volunteers who have recently
become committee chairs: Ann Rathbun, Ph.D. (Special Interest
Groups), Renee Katz, Ph.D., BCD (Ethics and Code of Standards task
force), Carol Wogrin, RN, Psy.D. (Body of Knowledge), Kay Talbot,
Ph.D. and Helen Chapple, M.A., RN (Specialty Workshops), Margaret
Coolican, M.S., RN (CEU), Terri Modesto, Ph.D. (New Member recruitment and development), Marcella Atwater, M.S.N. (Multicultural) and
Daniel Hernandez, MA NCC, AS (People of Color Forum).
What a busy year it has been for the ADEC team. One of our
major tasks was to initiate the certification in thanatology (CT)
while meeting the highest professional standards. We learned much
from the successful piloting of the certification exam. We look forward to the first administration of the certification exam in May
2003. Our granting opportunity for the CT ends in June 2003. Already we have granted some professionals the CT.
Judy Stillion, Ph.D. made two CD-ROMs, one on suicide and
one on dying children. Madeline Lambrecht, Ed.D. and the University of Delaware produced the CD-ROMs for us. Kathleen G. Moore,
Ph.D. has been instrumental in streamlining our organizational committee structure. This structure will enable us to have smoother
communication and cooperation among chairs and the board as
well as attract new volunteers to serve on committees. Howard
Winokuer, Ph.D. and Shannon Holt put together a dynamic conference in Cincinnati and obtained over $35,000 in donations to support the conference.
The planning for the 2004 conference in Pittsburgh is well underway. Charlotte Manges is working with me as co-chair. Both of us
want to remind you that the call for proposal deadline is July 15, 2003.
Two very important changes should be marked. After illustrious
service as our first Professional Affairs director, Judy Stillion, Ph.D.
has left that position. Donna Schuurman, Ed.D., who served four
years as treasurer and four years in our presidential ladder, moved
off the Board of Directors. For their valuable insights, distinguished
leadership and dedication, I thank them.
12
I have left a number of challenges and unfinished business for
incoming president Kathleen G. Moore and her executive committee team. Kathleen will describe these for you. One area that concerns us all is the financial health of ADEC. As you may remember,
we ended 2001/02 with a financial deficit. (We are in good company
with the US government.) This year with the help of cost cutting
measures instituted by your Board of Directors and our Chief Staff
Officer, Suzanne Berry, we believe we will end the year in the black!
As it is for many of you, ADEC is my professional home. For this
reason I have appreciated the opportunity to serve ADEC as president as well as your support this past year. I look forward to working with you in the future to assure that ADEC remains the foremost multi-disciplinary organization concerned with dying, death
and bereavement.
Warmly,
2003 Student Paper
Awardees
The Undergraduate Student Paper Award
Established in memory of Mary E. Brown
Presented to:
Danielle Schroeder, University of British Columbia
The Art of Dying: A Mind-Body Transformation
The Graduate Paper Award
Established in memory of Richard Kalish
Presented to:
Molly Greece, College of New Rochelle
Community Art Therapy In An Oncology
Waiting Room: Creativity As A Life-Affirming
Practice For Those Living With
Life-Threatening Illness
Upcoming Themes
If you would like to contribute an article to an issue with
these upcoming themes, please contact Louis Gamino, Editor
of The Forum. [email protected]
Topics under consideration:
Public Servants Dealing with Death
HIV/AIDs
Death Education
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Incoming President’s Remarks
By Kathleen G. Moore, Ph.D., LMHC, CT
It is with pleasure and gratitude that I share Presidential remarks with Gordon Thornton, Ph.D. I
would like to thank Gordon for his mentorship during these last few years; he is a wonderful role
model and his achievements will not be easy to
follow. However, we have a very talented Board of
Directors and Headquarters staff, including our
new Chief Staff Officer, Helene Weston. In promoting Helene, Sue
Berry has stepped down from that position after thirteen years, but
not away from ADEC. She remains, as one of Association Resources
principal owners, to provide guidance and direction, but in more of
a “behind the scenes” capacity. Welcome, Helene and thank you
Sue!
Gordon has outlined the course of ADEC during his tenure; I’d
like to offer a brief insight into the future.
However, I would be remiss if I did not refer to our current state
of affairs in the Middle East. The United States declared war on Iraq
just days prior to our ADEC annual conference in Cincinnati. Most
of our membership chose to fulfill their personal commitment to
attend the conference, as did most of our speakers. One, our Ira
Nerkin International speaker, had given us word that in the event
war was declared, she would be unable to attend. Danai Papadatou,
who is from Greece, was scheduled to deliver a keynote address.
Graciously, she agreed to arrange a future conference keynote presentation. As a result of immediate action on the part of our conference chairs, Howard Winokuer and Shannon Holt, we were provided with a panel presentation composed of several of our ADEC
experts: Linda Goldman, Ron Barrett, Lu Redmond and Bob
Neimeyer. The panel members discussed the effects of war on all of
us, but most especially our children. We thank each of them for
their willingness to respond immediately to the needs of the membership, on both professional and personal levels. There is no doubt
in anyone’s mind that the war, along with 9/11, the Columbia tragedy and other significant events, help shape the destiny of our
future work. We have begun planning for future conference panels
to address timely issues such as war. And now let us look at other
ways we may help ADEC members serve the public.
In the coming year, now that we have realized the launching of
the CT certification program, ADEC will develop more fully its plan
for an advanced credential. Chairs have been appointed and the
work has begun thanks to the willingness and dedication of numerous volunteers. As we look to long-term future goals, we hope to
have our CT test available more than once a year as well as online.
This will necessitate a large bank of test items as well as test reviewers. You can see that we will have a place for any and all
volunteers who wish to participate in one of ADEC’s most exciting
projects. Our commitment to the entire credentialing process has
been proven and will continue to grow in the future.
Another component of our credentialing commitment for the
future includes partnering with organizations that will help us fulfill
our vision for ADEC as the premier organization in the field of
thanatology. We have begun relationships with several groups
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
and will continue to increase our liaisons. We hope to obtain support, in various forms, from those groups. Credentialing is not simply a professional tool for our members, it is available to all. Moreover, we expect it to contribute to our financial well being by producing revenue.
Another area of potential income, albeit indirectly, is our intent
to consult and outsource when appropriate. Conference planning
is our first outsourcing venture; we have signed a two-year trial
contract with Conferon. Their representative will work with hotels
to ensure we have the best possible fees and arrangements for
future conferences. The Pittsburgh conference next year will offer
an opportunity to meet the Conferon staff member who will oversee
the hotel, workshop rooms, AV equipment needs and the like. We
are excited and anticipate a revenue-generating opportunity through
our relationship with Conferon. They will negotiate affordable room
rates as well as other conference arrangements, which we then will
pass on to you, the membership. We hope that by keeping conferences affordable, we will attract more attendees at future conferences.
We also hope to utilize other consultants. Although our membership and staff is generous with their time and talent, we recognize limitations that acknowledge our need to seek outside assistance. For example, talks regarding fund raising and fund development plans are in progress and will continue in the coming year.
Ideas for increasing ADEC’s financial resources and their practical
implementation will be explored by the Board and appointed committees.
The above are but a few of the efforts that are in process or
planned for ADEC. Our vision includes expanding our International
membership, offering more and varied educational opportunities
for members, developing a marketing plan and updating our Strategic Plan.
Strategic Plan revision will commence within the next few weeks
and hopefully will be completed during our Fall Board meeting.
ADEC leaders will offer their suggestions regarding the goals of
our Plan. Moreover, I encourage each of you to communicate with
me, or others on our Board, so that we may continue to represent
your needs in ADEC. We work for you and with you! Please let us
know your concerns, ideas and how we can better serve you. Be
part of our plan for ADEC’s future!
Finally, I urge you to become involved in ADEC service. Volunteer in whatever area you believe to be the best fit for you. Contact
Catherine Johnson, our Volunteer Coordinator. ADEC needs “new
blood” as well as seasoned veterans for its many tasks and committees in order to guarantee future development. Let’s keep our ADEC
family active and involved to make certain we have enthusiastic,
successful future generations in the association! I look forward to
meeting and working with each of you in the coming year!
13
Thanks to Outgoing
Board Members
ADEC wishes to offer sincere appreciation to those board members who have given so much time, energy, and expertise to
our organization.
Donna Schuurman, Past President, leaves the board after
many years of service. She championed our new certification
program.
Also retiring this year are board members Kathleen Gilbert,
LaVone Hazell, and Jack LoCicero.
Kathleen G. Moore assumes the presidency and Madeline
Lambrecht becomes the First Vice President. Sherry Schachter
was elected Second Vice President and Carolyn Hames, Secretary. New board members are Nancy Hogan, Rita Milburn-Dobson and Pat Zalaznik.
In Memoriam
John E. Fryer, MD, a pioneer in the death awareness movement,
died in Philadelphia on February 21, 2003. He was 67 years old.
While John was widely known as the force behind the American
Psychiatric Association’s decision to declassify homosexuality
as a disease, he was also an important figure in the care of the
dying and one of the first psychiatrists specializing in the
care of persons with HIV/AIDS. John was a Professor at
Temple University School of Medicine. His most lasting
contribution was the founding of the International
Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement whose work continues to shape
teaching, research and clinical practice in the care of the dying and the
bereaved.
Because the new Certified in Thanatology: Death, Dying and
Bereavement is a foundation level certification, interest has
been expressed for ADEC to offer an additional credential at
a more advanced level. As we explore options, we welcome
your input. If you have a vision of an advanced credential
beyond the CT to meet your professional needs, what does it
look like in terms of educational requirements, experience,
exam level, etc.? Please send your comments to the
Credentialing Chair: Catherine Johnson, 1810 Wells Street,
Enumclaw, WA 98022; [email protected]
Correction
In Donna Schuurman’s article, “My Swan Song,” in the May/June
2002 issue of The Forum, references to a book and essays by Donnali
Fifield were inadvertently omitted. They are listed below. The Editorial staff regrets any inconvenience to the reader.
Fifield, D. (2000). William & Wendell: A family remembered. San
Francisco, CA: Times Two Publishing Co.
Fifield, D. (2001, December). Aggrieved: The bereaved have to cope with
their loss—and with the pressure to heal. Retrieved from http://
www.timestwopublishing.com/wwaggrieved2.htm
Fifield, D. (2002, April). Let the guinea pigs speak: Detaching grief from
theory. Retrieved from http://www.timestwopublishing.com/
wwaggrieved3.htm
New CD-ROM Program
Moving? — Change of Address
Produced by:
Division of Special Programs,
College of Health and Nursing Science, University of Delaware
(Please Print)
Name: _______________________________________________
A Look at Children’s Grief
Position: _____________________________________________
Institution: ___________________________________________
Home Address: _______________________________________
City: ____________________ State: ______ Zip: ___________
Phone: _____________________ Fax: ______________________
Work Address: ________________________________________
City: ____________________ State: ______ Zip: ___________
Phone: _____________________ Fax: ______________________
Country: ________________ E-Mail: ______________________
Please mail to:
ADEC, 342 North Main Street, West Hartford, CT 06117-2507;
Phone: (860) 586-7503; Fax: (860) 586-7550;
E-Mail: [email protected]; Web site: www.adec.org
14
Advanced
Credential
A Two Hour CD-ROM
by Linda Goldman, MS, LCPC
Module 1: Children’s Loss and Grief
Module 2: Grief Resolution Techniques
Psychosocial Issues in Children and Adolescents with Terminal Illenss
by Judith M. Stillion, Ph.D.
Module 1: Background Issues and Special Concerns
Module 2: Caring for the Seriously Ill Child
Adolescent Suicide — Premature Exit
by Judith M. Stillion, Ph.D.
Module 1: Nature and Scope of the Problem
Module 2: Intervention, Prevention, Postvention
Prices: $29.95 each, CE credit available for an
additional $10 for a total of $39.95 each
Order directly online at www.adec.org or print out the order form
and mail to ADEC, 342 N. Main Street,
West Hartford, CT 06117-2507
Fax (860) 586-7550
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
ASSOCIATION NEWS—WHAT’S NEW FROM ADEC MEMBERS
By the Rev. Paul A. Metzler
Davidson, Judy. Grief Skills for Life. A Personal Journal for Teens
About Loss. Berea, KY: Renew Center (PO Box 125, Berea, KY 40403),
2002. ISBN: 0-9719569-1-X. Softcover, 59 pages.
Davidson has provided a journal in which teens can write, color, or
even draw in order to “help you to understand as well as give you a
way to release painful emotions.” Most of the teaching of the grief
skills comes in the form of the journaling questions, each of which is
followed by generous amounts of blank lined space to record responses.
A graphic artist’s work brings added interest to various pages.
Webb, Nancy Boyd, editor. Helping Bereaved Children. A Handbook for Practitioners. New York, NY: Guilford Press, 2nd Edition,
2002. ISBN: 1-57230-632-7. Hardcover, 408 pages.
This substantial book brings together the insights of Webb
and 10 other child specialists who offer 16 chapters on child bereavement from preschoolers to adolescents. Topics include general understandings of grief processes, clinical assessments, death
in the family, school or community. A strength of this book in its
original, and now second edition is the extensive verbatim case material and concurrent commentary by the practitioner. A final chapter on
“Helping Children Bereaved by Terrorism,” while focused on September 11, 2001, has relevance throughout the global village. Three Appendices and an Index make this “handbook” very resourceful.
Wolfelt, Alan D. Healing Your Traumatized Heart: 100 Practical Ideas
After Someone You Love Dies A Sudden, Violent Death. Ft. Collins, CO:
Companion Press, 2002. ISBN: 1-879651-32-7. Softcover, unpaginated.
Wolfelt continues his series of “100 Practical Ideas” books with
this one focused on sudden and violent death, a tragically common
experience for so many individuals and families. The ideas offered
provide guidance to help move those traumatically grieved from passivity to action as a means to fully experience and express their grief.
Wolfelt, Alan D. and Megan E. Wolfelt. The Healing Your Grieving
Heart Journal for Teens. Ft. Collins, CO: Companion Press, 2002.
ISBN: 1-879651-33-5. Softcover, 118 pages.
A guided journal for teenagers, this book was designed by
Wolfelt and his 14-year-old daughter in a personal voice “to help
you get your grief outside of yourself.” It includes nine chapters,
each combining solid grief education for teens, interspersed with
helpful journaling invitations to explore and reinforce the learning.
It realistically recognizes that it takes “weeks, months and years”
to see patterns in the challenging journey of grief.
“What’s New” is a listing of educational materials written or produced by ADEC members. Each listing is run once and is intended
to showcase contributions of our membership to the field of death,
dying, and bereavement. Send an actual copy (not just an announcement) of recent materials (2000 to present) to: The Rev. Paul
A. Metzler, D.Min., Director, The Center for Living With Loss, Hospice of Central New York, 990 Seventh North Street, Liverpool, New
York 13088-6148; (315) 634-1100; fax (315) 634-1118;
[email protected]
Half page ad
Hood_Ad(Than)1=2pg.pdf
The Forum • April/May/June 2003
15
ADEC
342 North Main Street
West Hartford, CT 06117-2507
2004 Conference
Pittsburgh, PA • April 21-25, 2004
Specialty Workshops
Call for Proposals for the
ADEC 26th Annual Conference
Pittsburgh, PA
April 21-25, 2004
Deadline June 10, 2003
Proposal application available on-line at
www.adec.org
Call for Abstracts
for
2004 Annual Conference in
Pittsburgh, PA • April 21-25, 2004.
Dying, Death & Bereavement:
A Family Perspective
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Permit No. 2115
Hartford, CT
2003 ADEC
Award Recipients
Four annual awards were presented during the President’s
Luncheon at ADEC’s 2003 Annual Conference in Cincinnati,
Ohio.
• Clinical Practice Award—Linda E. Goldman, M.S. of
Chevy Chase, Maryland (on faculty at Johns Hopkins
University Graduate Program of Counseling and University of Maryland School of Social Work) was commended
for her work with grieving children, teenagers and adults,
particularly following the September 11 disaster.
• Research Recognition Award—Dennis Klass, Ph.D. of
St. Louis, Missouri (Webster University) was recognized
for his research on parental grief, spirituality, continuing
bonds and cross-cultural aspects of grief.
• Death Education Award—Lynne Ann DeSpelder, M.A.
(Cabrillo College in Aptos, California) and Albert Lee
Strickland of Capitola, California were acknowledged as
co-authors of The Last Dance: Encountering Death and
Dying, a leading text in death studies currently in its sixth
edition, and as members of the International Work Group
on Death, Dying, and Bereavement.
On-line submissions at www.adec.org
Or disk with hard copy – call (860) 586-7503
• Service Award—Robert L. Wrenn, Ph.D. of Tucson, Arizona (Professor Emeritus in Psychology, University of
Arizona) was recognized for his distinguished career as
an educator and for his long service with ADEC’s certification program. His talents as a musician were acknowledged as well!
We look forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh!
ADEC’s annual awardees are chosen by the immediate
Past President in consultation with other key members of the
organization.
Deadline for submission is
July 15, 2003