Ruth Malkinson

Working With the Bereaved summarizes the major themes in bereavement research and clinical work and uses the authors’ own cutting-edge research to show mental-health practitioners how to integrate these themes into their practice. It provides clinicians with a framework for exploring their own emotional and intellectual assumptions about loss and bereavement, and it goes on to summarize state-of-the-art thinking in the field. The heart of the book focuses on the theoretical and clinical implications of the empirically validated Two-Track Model of Bereavement, as well as a variety of therapeutic techniques designed to help the bereaved both reapproach life and manage their continuing bonds with the deceased. The later chapters examine methods for integrating systems and family perspectives in therapy, for attending to the implications of culture and religion, and for meeting crises and emergencies in bereavement care. The concluding chapter addresses self-care, well-being, and resilience, offering practical guidelines for both the bereaved and those who treat them.

Working With the Bereaved summarizes the major themes in bereavement research and clinical work and uses the authors’ own cutting-edge research to show mental-health practitioners how to integrate these themes into their practice. It provides clinicians with a framework for exploring their own emotional and intellectual assumptions about loss and bereavement, and it goes on to summarize state-of-the-art thinking in the field. The heart of the book focuses on the theoretical and clinical implications of the empirically validated Two-Track Model of Bereavement, as well as a variety of therapeutic techniques designed to help the bereaved both reapproach life and manage their continuing bonds with the deceased. The later chapters examine methods for integrating systems and family perspectives in therapy, for attending to the implications of culture and religion, and for meeting crises and emergencies in bereavement care. The concluding chapter addresses self-care, well-being, and resilience, offering practical guidelines for both the bereaved and those who treat them.

In successful grief therapy, a healthy psyche copes with the stress of loss by maintaining high functioning in day-to-day life while constructing a positive inner relationship with the deceased. Ruth Malkinson shows professionals how to achieve these aims in the context of brief cognitive therapy with individuals, couples, and families.