In Grief: Worried About My Daughter

Find the latest version of this post here:

Teen Grief: Worried About My Daughter

A reader writes: My daughter is 16. Her brother was 17 when he was killed three months ago. As we live where there is no other family she had to be the second one to identify his body. She won't talk. It's like he never existed. I have tried getting her to counseling but she isn't interested. The counselor told me to just be here for her when she needs me and that she is taking her cues from me. But I am really worried that if she bottles this up it will compound later on. I'm not so sure I am right. Can you shed some light please?

Caregiving and Hospice, February 19 - February 25, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

How Can Palliative Care Be Implemented in the ICU?  http://bit.ly/2lQdxg8 « SevenPonds Blog

Book Review: "Extreme Measures" by Jessica Nutik-Zitter, M.D., http://bit.ly/2lNmqY3 « SevenPonds Blog

Death Education Is Needed As Much As Sex Education, http://bit.ly/2lFFJ5c « A Good Goodbye

Understanding and Managing Grief, February 19 - February 25, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Grief's Grenades, http://bit.ly/2lN6CnQ « Second Firsts

For Widows Only: Who We Are, http://bit.ly/2lhnRKS « Griefcase

Updated today: Grief Bibliography, http://bit.ly/9J8Wa4 « Grief Healing

Voices of Experience: Stepping Down

By Marianne Monson

To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors.  ~ Tia Walker

Marianne Monson has worked as an editor/art director of children’s books, has authored nine books for children and adults, and continues editing and writing for a variety of audiences. She also teaches Creative Writing and English at Portland Community College in Portland, Oregon. Her latest book, Frontier Grit: The Unlikely True Stories of Daring Pioneer Women, is dedicated to her grandmother, who succumbed to breast cancer in August. As her mother cared for her dying grandmother, Marianne was inspired to write this touching vignette.

Caregiving and Hospice, February 12 - February 18, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Warming Hearts, Cloaking Grief, http://bit.ly/2lVYLRL « Pallimed

When a Loved One is Terminally Ill: Talking About Death and Making End–of–life Decisions http://bit.ly/2lIXgan « HelpGuide

Laboring To Leave ~ Difficult Breathing at End of Life, http://bit.ly/2kLExg5 « Barbara Karnes, RN

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

Understanding and Managing Grief, February 12 - February 18, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

New Book: There Is No Good Card for This: What To Say and Do When Life Is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love, http://n.pr/2kJMZsU « NPR

You Can Find Love Again, http://bit.ly/2loepIz « Star Letters

Blessings of Grief, http://bit.ly/2lWRYHu « Widower's Grief

Coping with Pet Loss, February 12 - February 18, 2017

Best selection from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Guidelines for End-of-Life Care, http://bit.ly/2lI0zyu « Spot Speaks

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

In Grief: Using Denial to Cope with Loss

[Reviewed and updated March 6, 2022]

Denial helps us to pace our feelings of grief. There is a grace in denial. It is nature's way of letting in only as much as we can handle. ~ Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

A reader writes: I feel extremely depressed. My father, who is my best friend and closest person to me, passed away. Ever since I was little, I was always afraid he'd be taken away from me; he and I were very close, and he was the best father any person could ask for. He's the type of father who'd drive you around town for hours when you needed some last minute item for your school project that's due the next day. He's the type of father who will buy your favorite foods and secretly put it in your fridge. He's the type of father who will drop everything to listen when you're having a problem. We hugged each other every day, and I always told him I loved him. Why did this happen? I must be such a horrible person to be punished in this way.

Caregiving and Hospice, February 5 - February 11, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

How to Age Alone in the Era of "Elder Orphans," http://bit.ly/2kxHBw6 « Seven Ponds Blog

Book Review: Good to Go: A Guide To Preparing for the End of Life, http://bit.ly/2kNCOVR « Seven Ponds Blog

Facing the Abyss: Planning for Death, http://bit.ly/2kFFBmt « Pallimed

Understanding and Managing Grief, February 5 - February 11, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Liv On: Making a record that deals with all aspects of grief, http://bit.ly/2lq0ToK « ehospice

The Wound Time Won't Heal, http://bit.ly/2kKeCWi « Alive in Memory

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

Coping with Pet Loss, February 5 - February 11, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

How to Ensure You Are There Should Your Hospitalized Pet Pass Away, http://bit.ly/2kFaDLd « Spot Speaks

Pet Loss: A Disenfranchised Grief, http://bit.ly/2jUdwmJ « Grief Healing

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

Pet Loss: A Disenfranchised Grief

[Reviewed and updated January 14, 2024]

If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans. ~ James Herriot

You've just learned that your family's beloved pet is terminally ill. The vet gives your cherished companion less than a month to live. As the sad reality of losing this important member of your family sets in, a million thoughts race through your head.

Whether struggling with an animal companion's chronic illness, facing a decision about euthanasia, or mourning the loss of a cherished pet, you may be shocked and overwhelmed by the intensity of your reactions.

Caregiving and Hospice, January 28 - February 4, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

A Nurse's Reflection on End-of-Life Care, http://bit.ly/2kgQJ6E « Mary Gottschalk

Doctors Debate Medical Aid in Dying - Again, http://bit.ly/2kkpJ8A « Seven Ponds Blog

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

Understanding and Managing Grief, January 28 - February 4, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

What Mary Tyler Moore Taught Me About Grief, http://bit.ly/2jM07gm « GriefMinisterDotCom

It Was Never About Me (or you), http://bit.ly/2kqOgJd « The Gift of Second

Surviving A Partner’s Homicide, http://bit.ly/2kFRGFn « Grief Healing

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.