A Place for Renewal
We do best homage to our dead by
living our lives fully even in the
shadow of our loss.
Jewish prayer
Loss can take many forms beyond a physical death--separation/divorce, miscarriage, suicide, infertility, major illness, the passing of a favorite pet, unemployment, empty-nesting, retirement--each of which carries profound challenges and deep emotional pain. It can be a lonely and isolat
ing time, particularly when well-intentioned friends or relatives might advise, "Just get over it. It’s time to move on.”
Sharing your unique story with an empathetic therapist can restore a sense of stability and help to successfully work through the demands of mourning. Grief counseling affords you a safe, non-judgmental setting in which your agonizing experience is validated and respected. With professional support, you can express and in turn better understand the overwhelming emotions; accept the reality of the loss; develop appropriate coping skills; and re-invest in a healthy life-giving future.
The following books are suggested reading during the grieving process.
How to Go On Living When Someone You Love Dies, Therese A. Rando, PhD
The Mourning Handbook, Helen Fitzgerald
Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss, Hope Edelman
Widow to Widow: How the Bereaved Help One Another, Phyllis Silverman
Necessary Losses, Judith Viorst
The Grief Recovery Handbook, John W. James and Frank Cherry
In the Presence of Grief: Helping Family Members Resolve Death, Dying and Bereavement Issues, Dorothy S. Becvar
Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankel
Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death, Irvin D. Yalom
The Courage to Grieve: Creative Living, Recovery, & Growth through Grief,
Judy Tatelbaum
No Time to Say Goodbye, Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One, Carla Fine
Dying Well, Peace and Possibilities at the End of Life, Ira Byock, M.D.
Handbook for Mortals, Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness, Joanne
Lynn, M.D. and Joan Harrold, M.D.
The Loss of a Pet, Wallace Sife, PhD
Precious Companion: Comfort and Remembrance after the loss of a pet,
Laynee Gilbert
Treatment of Complicated Mourning, Therese A. Rando PhD
Meaning Reconstruction & the Experience of Loss, Edited by Robert A.
Neimeyer
Grief Counseling & Grief Therapy, J. William Worden
Talking about Death, Earl Grollman
When Dinosaurs Die, Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown
Tear Soup, Pat Schweibert
I Miss You: A First Look at Death, Pat Thomas and Leslie Harker
Helping Children Cope with the Loss of a Loved One: A Guide for Grownups,
William c. Kroen
Sad Isn't Bad: A Good-Grief Guidebook for Kids Dealing with Loss,
Michaelene Mundy and R.W. Alley
About Dying: An Open Family Book for Parents and Children Together,
Sarah Stein
The Fall of Freddie and the leaf, Leo Buscaglia