You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
This is a book of monumental proportions. Although it takes up just the usual space on a bookshelf, it contains within its pages a scope of understanding that is both deep and enveloping. The loss of one’s parent at any point in the life cycle cannot be fully grasped; it is simply experienced. For a child, the loss threatens not only his ties to what is real but also his own sense of personal survival. Healing After Parent Loss directs our attention to this human experience and the persons who share it, supporting the mourners at risk. Clinicians encounter loss through sharing in the grief of their patients. This compassionate, readable, and very useful set of articles describes approaches to treatment as well as theoretical guidelines. Reading through the various chapters the reader feels the strength and power of its contributions.
Following is a selection of chapter contents. A forward by Nancy McWilliams describes how each chapter captures both universal themes as well as the “idiosyncrasy of each child’s experience.” Part I, written by K. Mark Sossin, Yelena Bromberg, and Diana Haddad, reviews past and current literature, reflecting on the importance of self-awareness in the therapist. Part II presents therapy in the office with children and their caregivers. Following are brief mentions of just several of these chapters. Luz-Towns Miranda’s account of how a 4-year-old boy comes to understand that his father will not be returning will resonate with many clinicians. Particularly relevant is how the understanding is intimately embedded in a cultural setting and linked to the psyche of the surviving parent. It highlights for the reader how mourning for a child is always part of the context within which he lives. A second selection from Part II is entitled “My Daddy Is a Star in the Sky,” authored by Chandra Gosh Eppen, Alicia Lieberman, and Joy D. Osofsky. The editors comment that each of the authors has made significant contributions toward the understanding of Ch