Responding to Loss

Bernard Moss is Professor Emeritus of Social Work Education and Spirituality at Staffordshire University, where he began working with social work students in 1993. His particular teaching interests have focused on communications skills, studies in death, dying and bereavement, and mediation studies. He was formerly Director of the Centre for Spirituality and Health at Staffordshire University, and made significant contributions to debates on this important theme. Dr Neil Thompson is an independent writer, educator and adviser whose work is rooted in existentialist philosophy. It is this intellectual background, combined with his decades of experience in social work, that has given him not only an interest in spirituality, meaning and values, but also a commitment to promoting best practice in relation to such matters.

Contents includes:

Introduction
About this manual

Part One: Setting the context
What is loss?
Setting the context
What is grief?
Approach 1: The Dual Process model
Approach 2: The idea of stages
Approach 3: The tasks of grief
Approach 4: Finding new meanings
What is mourning?
How do people deal with grief and loss?
Religion and spirituality
Exploring different cultures
Grief: How can things go wrong? Difficult and complicated grieving
What can we do to help?
You and your workplace

Part Two: Training and development
Introduction
Exercises overview
A note on timing
Exercise 1: Welcome
Exercise 2: Ground rules
Exercise 3: Great expectations
Exercise 4: Listing the losses
Worksheet 1: Listing the losses
Exercise 5: Wishful thinking!
Worksheet 2: Codes of practice
Exercise 6: Creating a poster
Exercise 7: Trying to make sense of it all
Worksheet 3: Trying to make sense of it all
Exercise 8: Out of the ordinary!
Worksheet 4: Out of the ordinary (1)
Worksheet 5: Out of the ordinary (2)
Exercise 9: Where do i feature in all this?
Worksheet 6: Where do i feature in all this?
Exercise 10: The DOs and DON’Ts of helping
Worksheet 7: Responding to loss
Exercise 11: Celebrating diversity
Exercise 12: My boss really cares
Exercise 13: It’s got nothing to do with us
Worksheet 8: It’s got nothing to do with us
Exercise 14: The conspiracy of silence
Worksheet 9: The conspiracy of silence
Worksheet 10: The conspiracy of silence
Exercise 15: Men are from Mars…
Worksheet 11: Men are from Mars…
Exercise 16: Leaving was hard… but coming back was even worse
Worksheet 12: Leaving was hard… but coming back was even worse
Case study: Leaving was hard… but coming back was even worse
Exercise 17: Oh my god!

Part Three: Conclusion

Guide to further learning

Appendix
List of resources
Worksheets
Handouts