Grief and Powerlessness: Helping People Regain Control of their Lives

In this examination of why and how people grieve, this book addresses the experience of grief in many situations. It examines the effects on clients of bereavement and loss in many forms - death and dying, ageing, disability, illness and AIDS, and cultural loss - looking at attitudes of family and community and at how loss and grief may lead to various kinds of self-destructive behaviour, such as substance abuse. The second part of the book presents ideas for practical solutions and discusses strategies to facilitate change and re-empower clients, and help them gain control of their lives. The skills and knowledge needed for success with reflective listening techniques, counselling for drug dependency, PTSD and antisocial behaviour are discussed; music therapy is examined as a facilitating method in grief counselling, one which can access hidden emotions and create an atmosphere of trust and openness within the therapeutic relationship. Finally, the author examines the importance of the helper's own self-awareness, and looks at techniques for dealing with feelings that the grief of others arouses in us.