This study constitutes an exploration of the role of the experience of loss in the social processes of meaningmaking - regarding self, other and the world - especially as it applies to therapists. Traditionally a focus on loss has entailed a description of the mourning processes brought about by this inevitable but dreadful event. Here the lens is widened to evolve a description of how the loss experience can contribute to a transformation of a person's sense of her self and of her patterns of relating. This description. rests on a social constructionist understanding of the experience of self. A person's sense(s) of self is seen to evolve within the usual and seemingly predictable patterns of connecting and disconnecting that constitutes the social webs of the discursive communities that people move in. Thus her sense of I is indelibly linked to 'Nho and 'Nhere her Yous are. Indeed, all meaning is proposed to evolve from a template of connection-disconnection patterns. The experience of loss is seen to be able to disrupt these seemingly stable patterns within such a community sufficiently, as to be able to bring about in depth transformation of the meanings evolving from these habits of relating. One nuance of these meanings in transformation, entails a person's sense of her self. Experiences of, and struggles around connection and disconnection are centrally important in the world of therapists. It does not only constitute a basic focus of their 'M)rk, but is also the template in their personal lives that contributes to their O\Ml evolution as therapists. Thus the experience of loss is specifically explored as potentially transformational - on a personal and professional level - in the lives of therapists. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Suicide is an irreversible and tragic act that often leaves people confused and stigmatised. Immediately after a completed suicide, people’s thoughts usually turn to the suicide victim. Yet, the real victims of this tragedy are those individuals who are left behind to cope with the emotional trauma to loose a significant other. They often struggle with unanswerable questions, self-blaming and an inability to move on with their lives. This thesis aims to address two pertinent issues. The first is that little is known regarding the qualitative aspects of adolescent suicide survivors’ emotional experiences, meaning-making and coping behaviour. The second is that formal and informal caregivers have a need for psychoeducational resource material to effectively support adolescent suicide survivors during postvention. A psychological-phenomenological approach has been chosen as the fundamental ideological stance within the psycho-educational programme development structure of the study. Furthermore, the methodological assumptions of the phenomenological interview were enriched with some narrative principles and an arts-based component. The situation analysis’ research participants comprised of female late adolescents (17-22 years old) whom were recruited by means of criterion sampling. The most important specific inclusion criterion was that they had direct experience of being a suicide survivor; the suicide victim could be any significant person with whom the participant had had a meaningful relationship, such as a close friend, relative or direct family member. Data collection during the situation analysis primarily consisted of face-to-face phenomenological interviews. A pre-interview task to create a personalised collage was given to the research participants. These self-created collages served as narrative-facilitators during the interviews. Some of the participants provided additional documentary material in the form of personal diaries, letters and poems. ABSTRACT vi The data analysis basically followed Giorgi’s phenomenological method, especially due to its strong psychological sensitivity. Some supplementary analysis principles from the phenomenological approaches of Kruger and Wertz were integrated into Giorgi’s method to strengthen and support its psychological and educational inclinations. The principles of Guba’s model were employed in the verification of the research process. The themes that emerged from the phenomenological analysis were categorised into peri-suicide experiences (those experiences in the days around the suicide events that ended with the funeral) and post-suicide experiences (those experiences in the weeks, months and years following the direct suicide events). Each of these two parts consists of three experience clusters. The experience clusters for the peri-suicide experiences are the following: “Awareness of victim’s suicide-associated behaviour directly prior to the suicide”; “Immediate reactions on becoming aware of the suicide” and “Reactions in the days following the suicide”. The experience clusters for the post-suicide experiences are the following: “Falling apart”; “Being shattered” and “Putting the pieces back together”. The research participants’ experiences of the collage-making process per se, as well as the actual process of collage-making that they engaged in are also addressed. A web-based psycho-educational programme was developed from the rich research results obtained during the situation analysis. This programme can be used as a postvention resource instrument by adolescent survivors and caregivers of suicide survivors alike. / Prof. C.P.H. Myburgh

Anatomy of Loss contains a foreword, which discusses the place of autobiography in fiction, and five original short stories.

The following thesis is a collection of original poems written by Shaun Krause McGillis under the direction of professors Michele Glazer, Primus St. John, and adjunct professor B. T. Shaw during the course of Shaun Krause McGillis's gradate studies at Portland State University.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed October 3, 2008). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 364-391).

Many theories have been proposed that attempt to explain response and adaptation to loss. However, no one theory has been shown to be universally applicable to all individuals suffering a loss. This paper presents an overview of many of these theories, paying special attention to the relationship between the theories of loss and adaptation to disability. The theories include the psychoanalytic model of loss, stage models of adaptation to loss, the value change theory of acceptance of loss, chronic sorrow, the cognitive adaptation theory, the stress and coping model, developmental theory, and the existential perspective on loss and grief. The possible influence that factors such as age, gender, culture and variables specific to disability may have on loss are also discussed. A new conceptualization of loss is introduced that tries to integrate many of the key ideas of these theories. This integrated approach takes into account the unique situation of each person, emphasizing the interaction between environmental and personal factors in adapting to loss. The model contends that due to the uniqueness of the individual, to the many possible combinations of environmental and psychological factors, and to the nature of the loss itself, any one or combination of loss theories could be in effect for any single loss. The intent of this thesis is to encourage the reader to become familiar with different perspectives on the subject of loss and grief to help select the method that best fits the individual situation of the person seeking counseling.

Youth today experience high degrees of loss and change, resulting in grief (Goldman, 2001). Little evidence exists of school counselors' academic preparation in grief counseling. The purpose of this research study was to determine how CACREP school counseling programs prepare school counselors in the areas of grief and loss, including course delivery methods, included curriculum areas, and reasons for exclusion. A quantitative, descriptive design was utilized. The "School Counselors Preparation in Grief/Loss and Substance Abuse Counseling" survey was designed for data collection and sent to the 150 United States CACREP accredited school counseling programs. A total of 79 programs responded, resulting in a 53% response rate. Research results found that 40% of responding CACREP programs did not offer any grief and loss preparation to their pre-service school counselors. Sixty percent indicated providing some training. Data show that 11% of programs required a course and 50% offered an elective course. Additionally, 48% of respondents taught a module on grief and loss within a required course, and 13% through a module in an elective course. Results found 6 respondents included all 17 suggested curriculum areas, while the mean for curricula inclusion was 11 areas. Research indicated 78% of programs not offering grief and loss cited a lack of room to add more credits as their exclusion rationale. Furthermore 35% of respondents did not offer curriculum because it was not a CACREP requirement. Lacking trained staff and financial reasons were both reported by 25% of programs as reasons for non-inclusion. Facing grief and loss are realities of life. Helping students to acknowledge and cope with these realities is a necessary task, as loss is a normal, universal experience, encountered repeatedly (Lenhardt, 1997). CACREP standards position that counselor education programs will prepare students to meet the real life counseling situations they will face while working in schools (CACREP, 2001). Research results indicated an inconsistent delivery of appropriate training in grief and loss among responding CACREP school counseling programs. Counselor education programs may wish to examine if they are ethically and effectively preparing their 21st century graduates. Recommendations and limitations are included. / Graduation date: 2004

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 348-360). Also available on the Internet.

This collection of short stories explores the depths of human emotions as seemingly unrelated characters in an Indiana community react to tragedies, including death, divorce, abuse, financial struggles, and assault. Each character experiences intense isolation and hopelessness, and some question the presence of a God who would allow such suffering. Not only are the protagonists' stories unique, but the characters themselves are diverse, encompassing different ages, genders, races, and class levels. Each story is linked by a cause-and-effect in which one person's reaction to grief creates tragedy in someone else's life. Therefore, the protagonist of one story becomes the antagonist of the next, and readers get a glimpse into both sides of the conflict. This chain reaction continues until the final story, in which the protagonist chooses to deal with his grief through faith and forgiveness, offering his attacker redemption and exemplifying the depth of God's love. / Portrait of Jesus (1988) -- The deep end (2003) -- Wrongful death (2005) -- Double shift (2006) -- The fight (2006) -- The path (2006) / Department of English