Running as therapy
We loved learning about psychotherapist, Sepideh Saremi’s, approach of combining running with therapy. What a great way to combine physical exercise and care for the body with supportive conversations. Of course some clients won’t be fit enough to run, and your grieving clients may just not have the energy for that. But what about a walking version? Of course Saremi is based in California where the weather is of course conducive to this! What do you think of this idea? Could you as a practitioner manage to feel focused enough and able to listen while running? You probably wouldn’t be able to take notes while walking or running; would this be a dealbreaker for you? Would you love to be able to get your own exercise and physical care in whilst working?
http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-running-therapy-20170705-story.html
Standing up against grief rules for widows
We saw his article by Erica Roman go viral recently. It’s a really great example of the kinds of “grief rules” that our clients find themselves up against as they figure out how to live after great loss. Society at large, and our client’s closer and more important friends or family members all have opinions about such things as “how soon after their spouse’s death can a widow date or marry?” These reactions from others can introduce doubt, pain, and shame to the grief experiences of widows. As grief support practitioners, we need to be alert to these kinds of grief rules, we need to examine our own ideas and experiences (do you have a “time limit” you think is appropriate for this?), and we need to explore both the effects of such rules and our client’s preferences.
https://ericaroman.me/2017/07/07/a-widows-rage-defense-of-patton-oswalts-engagement/
What if children are experts on grief?
What a delight to read about the publication of 10-year old Jayda Brown’s book about grief called, “Always in my heart.” So often children are left out of conversations and experiences relating to death, loss, and grief because adults think they need to be protected, or because adults think they won’t understand. Given these limiting and ageist stereotypes about children, we immediately wondered who in Jayda’s life supported her to write his book? Who let her know that children are experts on grief? Or was she so tuned into her own agency that she decided these things for herself? If you’re working with children or their carers, how are you supporting the idea that children are experts on grief?
http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2017/07/5th-grader_to_introduce_book_s.html