As a universal theme, love touches each of our lives in different and unique ways. This manuscript addresses the often overlooked sense of grief and loss that occurs when our dreams of love are shattered. It also addresses how addiction and commitment conflicts impede intimacy and loving relationships. While movies, music, and books offer many…

Background: The influence of grief and bereavement on the lives of people with intellectual disabilities is currently receiving much interest. Many of the long-standing rituals associated with bereavement are still practised in Ireland, probably more than in many other Western countries. The present authors were interested in studying the…

The authors integrate poetry and narrative into their self-study application of the research methodology known as Appreciative Inquiry (AI) focused on: (a) their personal and professional practice and development; (b) their teaching practice in universities and informal/popular education settings; and, (c) their educational research in the area of…

Efforts to alleviate the emotional pain of terminally ill children and their parents have led many physicians to turn to child psychiatrists for psychological support and treatment services. This book, written by a child psychotherapist, offers an overview of children's attitudes to death and considers the moral and ethical issues raised by…

Noting that family members need to work together to find ways of relating that feel comfortable, this book is intended to help teenage stepchildren understand stepfamily life and to find ways to make it happier. The chapters are: (1) "Divided Loyalty," including being a go-between for divorcing parents and where to live; (2) "Can Access Be Fun?"…

Since the early 1980s, open adoption has been rapidly gaining ground, replacing the sealed records and the secrecy and shame that were attached to the subject. This book considers the long-term effects of open adoption on the children involved and presents case histories and letters from adoptees. Chapter 1, "Open Adoption: Definition,…

As the AIDS epidemic continues, the number of children affected by AIDS continues to increase. Mental health professionals must begin to identify explicitly the special situational factors of AIDS and how they influence the grief process. In addition, the innovative use of mental health services must be considered, such as implementation of…

This paper notes that therapists often feel unqualified to deal with special populations of children because of a lack of understanding of the universalness of play therapy. Suggestions are offered for beginning play therapists who may work with a number of special populations of children. It is recommended that the social learning approach to…

The University of California San Francisco AIDS Health Project has more than 15 years' experience in working with thousands of people with AIDS. This guide, developed by the Project, provides practical, state-of-the-art resources in the field. Part 1, "Risk and Behavior: Helping Clients Remain Uninfected," covers the following topics:…

A Family Story Curriculum Project was implemented in three English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes at the Refugee Women's Alliance (ReWA) center in Seattle, Washington. This project followed a successful storytelling project in which students remembered and told folktales from their native countries. The purposes of the Family Story curriculum…

Literature on health professionals describes the problems associated with unresolved or poorly resolved grief. Previous research has indicated that the most important reason why health professionals stay in their jobs is their relationship to patients. This study examined how nursing home personnel resolve their grief following deaths of clients.…

The death of a parent can cause economic and emotional stress for the surviving family members. As part of a larger survey of widowed men and women, living in Melbourne, Australia, data on needs of children who had experienced a parent's death were collected from 126 widowed parents with at least one child under the age of 18. Parents reported…

This instructional module on death and bereavement is one in a block of 10 modules designed to provide the human services worker who works with older adults with basic information regarding the aging process. An introduction provides an overview of the module content. A listing of general objectives follows. Four sections present informative…

Designed for use with accompanying videotapes as single presentations or as a series for professionals or laypeople, or as supplementary modules in academic courses in psychology, marriage and family, health occupations, etc., these four learning modules focus on common phases of dying and grief as part of the normal cycle of living. The modules…

Research partially supported by grants MH-12548-01 and CA-04937-07 from the U.S. Public Health Service and by Bureau of State Services grant NIH-5-107A66.