Helping Others Cope With Grief
Cendra Lynn - GriefNet
Our Guest Writer of the month is Cendra Lynn, one of the true pioneers in grief support resources on the World Wide Web. Dr. Lynn, the founder of GriefNet, is also a psychologist in private practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. She co-founded the MI Chapter of the Association for Death Education and Counseling [ADEC] in 1983 and was its president from then until 1990. She is active in various national activities of ADEC, and writes about grief and loss. In this Grief Brief she summarizes her thoughts on helping others cope with grief.
SOME THOUGHTS ON HELPING OTHERS COPE WITH GRIEF
* Don't push
* Be patient
* Be humble
* Be honest
* Be gentle
* Confront rarely
* Respect their defenses
* Pay attention to your own feelings
* Accept your limitations
* Rely first on your feelings, second on your knowledge
* When in doubt, consult
* Remember that
1. grief is unique
2. grief is private
3. grief is individual
4. there is no sure cure for grief
* Be practical
* Be yourself
Grief Net
PO Box 3272
Ann Arbor, MI, 48106-3272
griefnet@rivendell.org or rivendel@ic.net
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TLC Group grants anyone the right to use this information without compensation so long as the copy is not used for profit or as training materials in a profit making activity such as workshops, lectures, and seminars, and so long as this paragraph is retained in its entirety.