Counselling for grief and bereavement - Geraldine M. Humphrey

`The book provides an absorbing and challenging journey through the possible process involved in bereavement work, and encourages one to think broadly about how one can approach a bereaved person... good, clear examples are given... A further strength of the book is that it enables the reader to work clearly through the beginning, middle and end of the counselling relationship... this was a book I enjoyed reading very much, and which I found both theoretically sound and practically helpful - Bereavement Care (Cruse)

Geraldine Humphrey and David Zimpfer take readers step-by-step through the counselling skills they need to work with their clients in a way which sensitively facilitates the process of grief, initiates healing and promotes a sense of growth. Carefully chosen case examples illustrate each step, while specific attention is paid throughout to ethics and to the possible need for referral. Providing a firm theoretical base, the authors discuss the concepts and categories of attachment, loss and grief. They also focus on special areas where the resolution of grief can be more difficult, such as murder, suicide, AIDS or the early loss of a child, and, since some losses can be foretold, devote attention to anticipatory grief. Further chapters cover groupwork and community outreach services.