Lesson 8: Loss and Bereavement


Attention


Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Students will demonstrate an understanding of the continuum of feelings, thoughts and behaviors that occur throughout the grief process.
  • Students will distinguish between grief, mourning and bereavement.
  • Students will identify common grief reactions and skills to better assist an individual experiencing these reactions.
  • Students will be able to describe identity formation, differentiation and the individuation process.
  • Students will understand Maslow's hierarchy and identify human needs on all strata.

Teaching

What is Grief and Loss?

The Grieving Process

  • Bereavement
  • Grief
  • Mourning
Here are a series of movies related to Grieving
Terminal Illness
Children Grieving
Suicide
Infant Death
Pets
Divorce
Job Loss
Changing the Way we Mourn
The Adventure of Grief
The Grieving Process

This may appear to be quite a bit to watch.  The content in ALL of these lessons are heavy and hard. In mental health work, we are exposed to stories (upon stories) of the human condition. Our own, our clients', our co-workers, every human person has a story. How do we tell ours? How do we help others manage theirs? How does someone define who they are? How do we become whole when we feel fragmented? How do we serve others when they feel fragmented?

How do we avoid vicarious traumatization, compassion fatigue and burn-out?

Think of the previous chapters- child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, substance abuse, rape and assault, homicide and suicide—in some way, all of these topics include grief, loss, mourning and the need to cope with the human feelings that our sublime self can experience.

TF-CBT information was offered because the P.R.A.C. aspects of this model is something that we all must learn:

P- psycho-education (we give information about the normal experiences and the typical progressions);

R- relaxation techniques (we teach ways to cope, ways to calm, and things we can do to withstand the traumas that we experience);

A- Affect identification/awareness/modulation (this is so basic, and often so neglected in life- we are not taught feeling vocabulary, compassion or awareness of our self's and others' inner-states in a way that can be attuned and receptive to the connection of our mind, body and spirit. When feelings become difficult behavior often communicates feeling through an inappropriate expression of something other than the authentic experience because we are all afraid, and hide from vulnerability- among other things. So, we must be able to read real feeling, be aware of what feeling is being experienced and expressed, and teach others how to express, modulate and remove intensity in order to communicate clearly- this is a BASIC skill and HUGE but often not directly taught within someone's development and life process);

C- Cognitive Coping (this is the fundamental aspect of cognitive behavioral therapy- Connecting thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to trauma, crisis or our experiences is so important. Often we stay compartmentalized, fragmented and we believe our thoughts, feelings and behaviors are unrelated- however, fundamentally, they are not unrelated- they are inherently interdependent- this is some of the most powerful wisdom you may ever hear- the goal is to integrate it into your understanding in a manner that is going to assist you effect change).

Working on the Self

Maslow's Hierarchy of needs is a fundamental aspect of human relations theory- the addition of different human relation models- such as the bio-psycho-social(-cultural-spiritual) model enhances the interconnections and overlaps of human identity, formation of self and the importance of all of the mirrors held for us to view ourselves….

Click HERE to visit "The Pursuit of Happiness"

Sociological Perspectives on the Self

Click HERE to watch a video on Cooley's "Looking Glass Self"

Classic Sociological thoughts on the Self  

The promotion of health, the amelioration of crisis symptoms, useful interventions and effective approaches when working with others takes into consideration every human need to have biological needs met, safety needs met, feel love and belonging, feel useful and good at something important to them, and to feel engaged…. Take frameworks of health and resiliency and apply them to individuals in crisis. How would you intervene given this information??

 


Assessment

Lesson 8 Assignment

Reflective journal: Create a journal that summarizes your understanding of crisis, your role as a crisis working, identity formation, grief, loss, trauma, and resiliency, coping and growth…. I would like this to include any quotes, graphics, doodles, pictures, poems or poetic aspects you'd like to include. What music matters? What messages matter? I want at least 10 pages, but this does not have to be a double spaced APA creation. I want this journal to include your birth announcement, your graduation announcement (graduating from anything you'd like to create), announcements of your achievement, and your obituary. I would also like this journal to have a typed portion of reflective learning assessment: 300 words for every lesson- 1-8. Nothing cut and pasted- free write your thoughts on each section.

Possible Class Discussion A

Use the discussion board to post ideas about ways to avoid vicarious traumatization, compassion fatigue and burn-out. What have you tried? Why is this important?

Possible Class Discussion B

Summarize your understanding of the graphics (looking glass self, resiliency information, self-making, Maslow's hierarchy, etc.) and post your insights and observations. Do these graphics change the way you think about your work, your Self, your studies?? Why or why not?

Remember, you mist post TWICE in EVERY discussion board. Your first post should address the topic of the discussion (like the one above) and your second post must be a reply to ANOTHER students' post...your reply should be MORE than just a "I agree!" or "Very cool!" It should be "substantive" by expanding on the students post, asking a questions, adding your own thoughts to what they have said, etc.