Autorentext

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Written by a clinical psychologist specializing in grief trauma, this empathetic guide provides advice for family and friends supporting someone after the death of a loved one.

Watching a friend or family member experience a life-changing loss can be heartbreaking. And often we don’t know how best to help.

In this empathetic and highly practical book, clinical psychologist Dr Emma Cotterill includes her lived experience – and that of others – to provide readers with a valuable blend of both real-life and clinical advice.

Dr Cotterill first helps you understand what grief can look like and the psychology that underpins the human experience of loss. She then helps you navigate how best to help: from providing emotional and practical support, to knowing what to say – and what not to say. Dr Cotterill also recognizes the emotional toll that accompanies supporting someone through their grief, and gives strategies to ensure you look after yourself.

Inhalt

Part 1: Understanding grief and loss and what the experiences is like for the grieving person 

• Understanding grief and loss – theory and education 
• What grief can look like – in the short and long term  
• Practical consequences of dealing with grief and loss ("grief admin")
• Challenges of living with grief for the person grieving / the hidden aspects of grief 
• Misunderstanding of what grief looks like and individual differences in this 
• When grief becomes intertwined with mental health difficulties (depression, anxiety, trauma, etc.) 

Part 2: How to help someone through grief and loss 

• Practical help
• Emotional support
• Communication and staying in touch 
• Individual differences in support needed 
• How to talk about the person who has died 
• What not to say – unhelpful platitudes 
• How to remember the person who has died 
• How to keep showing up 
• The burden of being present in someone else's grief when it isn't changing 
• Considering risk: what to do if your loved one is experiencing suicidal ideation

Part 3: How to support yourself when supporting someone else

• Recognizing the emotional toll of being around others' grief 
• How to take care of yourself if you are grieving too
• Self-care