Bereavement

Of all the things one can experience in life, forming bonds with others is what many believe makes life worth living. Therefore, when someone passes on, it makes it difficult for those they left behind. It’s not as easy to see. The people left have their whole lives ahead of them, but pieces are gone. It is not as obvious to tell how it affects the minds of friends and family as, per se, schizophrenia. Schizophrenia causes paranoia, hallucinations, there are chemical imbalances in the brain—things that can be tracked and treated.

Only a small percentage of the population ever has to experience a mental disorder. Grief affects everyone. Every single person will lose a loved one at some point. Certain factors may cause suffering to be worse for some: isolation, unresolved issues with the dead. While it was not the bereaved who have passed, they do have to pick up the pieces. There is a tendency to overlook the significance of this fact. As such, this community project will show why there is a growing necessity for a community bereavement program and outline its design.

This community program will serve all ages of people needing help to deal with grief brought on by the loss of an important entity—parents, child, friend, pet, etc.—in their lives. Bereavement is a very personal issue. A person may be closer to a best friend than a sibling or may feel as though their pet is like a child. However, others, including one's job, may not recognize how deeply affected a person can be from such loss. Newsom et al. (2017) noted the existence of prolonged grief disorder for some who do not receive adequate support. The goal of this program is to serve all who need bereavement assistance, especially those who may be underserved, or whose bereavement is less recognized.

The program will consist of weekly group sessions at places of worship and/or community centers, utilizing volunteer counselors and trained assistants. This program will be based on the stages of grief theory by Kübler-Ross in which bereavement takes place in a series of stages beginning with shock and denial and progressing to acceptance (Hamilton, 2016). There will be art-therapy, journaling, an emphasis on self-help and meditations in order for these people left behind to re-find themselves. Meditations can help one root themselves again, and for many after losing a person, they need to re-establish themselves in the world.

Those who have lost someone often go into a depression that makes things like showering, making proper meals, and doing things that bring them joy difficult. Introducing self-help ideas and methodologies will help the bereaved take small steps to make themselves whole again. Research shows those grieving must establish a new identity without the deceased (Wilson, Gabriel & James, 2016, p. 8). While they may be mourning someone, they cannot forget that they are still alive. To live without the dead is not to turn their backs on them, but it is how the living go on to live successful lives in their honor.

Potential participants will be recruited through hand-outs given to those in grief at funeral homes, veterinarian offices, doctor's offices, and the locations hosting the therapy sessions. Professional counselors and trained assistants/intern volunteers will be assigned a location and facilitate weekly sessions of up to 10-12 people per counselor. Private sessions will be available for those who request them. Community counselors and locations must be recruited for this program, internship applications posted at local colleges, and flyers must be created and distributed to the previously mentioned locations.

The timeline for beginning the counseling program as a community service is six months. A grant to cover the cost of printing flyers and buying a few supplies such as notebooks, pens, and tissue must be approved. During this time, recruitment activities will be completed by interns working in the Kaiser Bereavement Department, including myself. Within this department is the Bereavement Process Center where persons are assisted in recognizing symptoms of grief are not as well known. This agency will oversee the program, including training interns to assist counselors and as oversight for grading interns who receive academic credit for working on the project. My role in this program is to lead the other interns in outreach and to assist in finding grants that fit the program and working with the grant writer to secure funding.

References

Hamilton, I. J. (2016). Understanding grief and bereavement. British Journal of General Practice, 66(651), 523-523. doi: 10.3399/bjgp16X687325

Newsom, C., Schut, H., Stroebe, M. S., Wilson, S., Birrell, J., Moerbeek, M., & Eisma, M. C.(2017). Effectiveness of bereavement counseling through a community‐based organization: A naturalistic, controlled trial. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 24(6), O1512-O1523. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2113

Wilson, J., Gabriel, L., & James, H. (2016). Meaning-making in bereavement counseling: clients’ assimilation of grief experiences. Retrieved from http://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/1563/