The Art of Grief: The use of expressive arts in a grief support group » (1st Edition)

J. Earl Rogers, JD, Psy.D., CT, is Director of Clinical Services, Comox Valley Hospice, where he also practices as a certified thanatologist and end of life counselor. Dr. Rogers also maintains a private counseling practice in Courtenay, British Columbia. He has served on the board of directors of ADEC, and is an active member of the ACA and several prominent US and Canadian hospice associations.

Art and other expressive therapies are increasingly used in grief counseling, not only among children and adolescents, but throughout the developmental spectrum. Creative activities are commonly used in group and individual psychotherapy programs, but it is only relatively recently that these expressive modalities have been employed within the context of clinical grief work in structured settings. These forms of nonverbal communication are often more natural ways to express thoughts and feelings that are difficult to discuss, particularly when it comes to issues surrounding grief and loss. Packed with pictures and instructional detail, this book includes an eight-session curriculum for use with grief support groups as well as alternative modalities of grief art therapy.

About the Author/Editor     xiii
Contributors     xv
Series Editor's Foreword     xvii
Acknowledgments     xxi
The Use of Expressive Arts in a Grief Support Group
Introduction   J. Earl Rogers     3
Leading Grief Support Groups   J. Earl Rogers     9
Basics of Grief and Loss   J. Earl Rogers     21
Children and Teens   J. Earl Rogers     31
How to Use This Book   J. Earl Rogers     39
The Grief Support Group Curriculum: Eight Sessions
Session 1: The Storytellers - Oral History and Introduction   J. Earl Rogers     49
Session 2: The Written Story - Creative Writing, Journaling, and Poetry   J. Earl Rogers     59
Session 3: Sandtray - An Accessible Strategy for the Grief Process   J. Earl Rogers     69
Session 4: The Body of Grief   J. Earl Rogers     81
Session 5: The Art of Collage - Visions and Images   J. Earl Rogers     95
Session 6: The Music   Nicole Burgess     101
Session 7: Drama and Theater   Lauren B. Chandler     115
Session 8: Grief and the Sacred Art of Ritual   Janet Shaw Rogers     129
Alternative Art Forms,Programs, and Stories of Art and Healing
The Painters   Deborah Koff-Chapin   Carol McIntyre   Judith Koeleman     153
The Writers   Sara Baker   Sara Spaulding-Phillips     189
Programs in Art   Debra Mier   Laura Thomae   Carole M. McNamee     199
Programs for Teens and Children   Sandra Baughman   Laura Riser     227
Alternative Art Forms   J. Earl Rogers   Janet Feldman     239
Stories of Art, Grief, and Healing   Thomas D. Moore   Sandra M. Walsh   Lisa Wayman   Penny Allport     259
Conclusion   J. Earl Rogers     281
References     287
Index     293