Book Being Reviewed:
Schupp, L. J. (2003). Grief: Normal, complicated, traumatic. Eau Claire, WI: PESI Healthcare.

Reviewer:
Jacalyn Ramsey

Curricular Areas:
Self-Help

Subject Headings:
Grief & Loss

Review:
This book is very helpful for those in the healthcare field who counsel clients concerning the issue of grief. The author cites her personal experience which enhances this well-written account of the grieving process. Chapters in the book deal with definition, assessment and types of grief; the therapeutic relationship; and psychological and emotional healing techniques, as well as techniques for special populations (i.e., bereaved parents, survivor children, terminally ill, elderly, and cultural groups). She also includes suicide survivors, which is a unique type of suffering. The author identifies three classifications of grief as normal, complicated (prolonged, absent, distorted, delayed, excessive, unresolved or layered, concomitant, and trauma-related), and traumatic/prolonged.

There is significant discussion regarding the possibility of a new name for Traumatic Grief, "Prolonged Grief Disorder", which may possibly be added to the proposed DSM-V. The word traumatic is used in clarifying the impact of death upon the survivor, instead of mainly just a horrific death of the victim, thus emphasizing the phenomenology rather than etiology. The author describes this disorder as intense, prolonged, and incapacitating; however, in the past grief was not considered a mental disorder. Therefore, it is significant if the proposed criteria for Prolonged Grief Disorder becomes a part of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders because it will give clinicians another choice in labeling various grief problems.

In my own practice, I have counseled clients who fall into the category of Prolonged Grief Disorder. Some of the author’s recommended psychological and therapeutic techniques which I have found to be helpful in facilitating emotional expression include journal writing, poem therapy, letters, gestalt therapy, art and music therapy, animal therapy, and memorials (rituals honoring the deceased, i.e., releasing balloons into the sky or creating a memory book). I have found logotherapy to be particularly beneficial with clients who have traumatic/prolonged grief. This type of therapy helps the client to find meaning in their suffering. In her search for meaning, my client wrote a poem about the deceased and shared it with other parents who were grieving the loss of a child.

An additional last entry in this book addresses Health Care Professionals and self-care, which is often absent from the college training curriculum. This book would be a valuable resource to place upon your bookshelf in helping others with their grief.

Originally posted on 5/31/2010 at csi-net.org