Living Through Loss is the first book to identify the many ways in which people experience loss over the course of life and to discuss the interventions most effective at each stage of life. The authors' starting point is that loss comes in many forms and can include not only suffering the death of a person one loves but also giving birth to a child with disabilities, living with chronic illness, or being abused, assaulted, or otherwise traumatized. They approach loss from the perspective of the resilience model, which acknowledges the capacity of people to integrate loss into their lives, and write sensitively about the role of age, race, culture, sexual orientation, gender, and spirituality in a person's response to loss. More than a comprehensive source on loss, the volume is distinguished by the authors' beautiful use of clients' experiences-and their own-thus making their book definitive and indelible.

Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Theoretical Perspectives on Grief 2. The Grief Process 3. Resilience and Meaning Making 4. Grief and Loss in Childhood 5. Interventions for Grieving Children 6. Grief and Loss in Adolescence 7. Interventions for Grieving Adolescents 8. Grief and Loss in Young Adulthood 9. Interventions for Grieving Young Adults 10. Grief and Loss in Middle Adulthood 11. Interventions for Grieving Midlife Adults 12. Grief and Loss in Old Age 13. Interventions for Grieving Older Adults 14. Professional Self-Awareness and Self-Care Concluding Thoughts References Index

About the Author

Nancy R. Hooyman is the Hooyman Endowed Professor and dean emerita at the University of Washington, School of Social Work. In addition to numerous awards and fellowships, she is the author of eight books and more than one hundred articles. Betty J. Kramer is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Social Work. She is a nationally recognized social work leader in the field of palliative and end-of-life care, the recipient of numerous awards and honors, and the coeditor of Men as Caregivers: Theory, Research, and Service Implications.

Prizes

"An exquisitely written, well researched, compassionate, and definitive book on loss and grief for social workers and other practitioners. Hooyman and Kramer share their own poignant stories, reaching down to the deepest level of experience and loss, that serve to illustrate issues faced by bereaved individuals. The book is unique in its lifespan approach to common losses, its integration of the diversity of the human experience, and its focus on recent evidence-based interventions. The section on professional self-awareness and self-care offers concrete strategies for the prevention of some of the challenges in working with the bereaved. All professionals -- and I suspect others as well -- will benefit from this major achievement." -- Colette V. Browne, University of Hawaii, School of Social Work

Reviews

"This book is both a mine of information and provides an enormous amount of food for thought and reflection. Highly recommended." -- Roger Woodruff, Director of Palliative Care, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia, International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care News