Re-Membering Lives: Conversations with the Dying and the Bereaved » (1st Edition)

Hedtke (a counselor) and Winslade (counseling, University of Waikato, in Hamilton, New Zealand) offer an approach to coping with grief. They center their technique on the use of wistful reminiscence and the construction of stories that continue to include the dead in our lives, explicitly rejecting standard assumptions about closure and final good-byes. The book is intended for mental health practitioners and general readers facing their own grief. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Becky Stepp, BBA, MEd, BS, M, LMSW(Seton Medical Center)
Description:This volume in the Death, Value and Meaning Series offers an "out of the box" philosophy for healthcare professionals in the end-of-life care provision. Based upon the concepts of remembering and constructive conversations, this book provides an alternative, sometimes radical, departure from the traditional grief and bereavement theories.
Purpose:According to the authors, the book's purpose is to provide healthcare professionals with an alternative to the mainstream theories of bereavement counseling. It is a book of love stories, remarkable relationships, and inspirational practices.
Audience:Mental health clinicians, family therapists, caseworkers, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, bereavement counselors, hospice and palliative care professionals -- all will find this an excellent resource for alternative grief therapies.
Features:The book emphasizes that remembering gives a clear path for making comforting meanings during confusion and challenging times. Even when faced with hardships, creating stories together with loved ones helps to ease the pain of separation and to building lasting memories.
Assessment:Through a series of stories and vignettes, the book engages the reader, while providing interactive opportunities to contribute stories of their own to this ongoing research. The book is innovative and disturbing at this same time -- interesting reading.

Preface
Chapter One Why Remember?
Chapter Two Death and Grief in the Modern World
Chapter Three Constructing Death
Chapter Four Death Doesn t Mean Saying Goodbye
Chapter Five Who Will Carry My Stories?
Chapter Six How Can We Stay Close?
Chapter Seven Keeping a Plate Set for Grandma
Chapter Eight Narratives or Spirituality
Chapter Nine Troubling Memories
Chapter Ten The Beginning
References
Index