Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Maid (Medical Assistance In Dying) And Meaning: An Exploration Of The Experience And Ability To Make Meaning Through Involvement In A Maid-Specific Bereavement Group, The Synergistic Potential Of Covid-19 And Maid, And The Impact Of Healthcare Providers Relationships From The Perspective Of Relational Ethics On The Legacy Of Maid-Involved Families Into Their Bereavement, Allyson Van Kessel

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

MAiD became legally accessible to Canadians with a grievous and irremediable illness in June of 2016. As I write in 2023, MAiD has been expanded to include patients who do not have a foreseeable death, with anticipated inclusion of those with mental illness as a sole underlying medical condition (MI-SUMC) in 2024. As MAiD now accounts for over 3% of all deaths annually in Canada, there is a growing impetus to explore ways by which MAiD practice can be improved and care can be extended to the family members following the death of a patient.

A hospital in southwestern Ontario …

Bereavement In Isolation During Covid-19 Pandemic, Shelia Renee Stroman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic with the protocols of social distance, isolation, and quarantine changed the practices associated with traditional funerals and rituals. The purpose of this phenomenology study was to understand the lived experience of individuals that process bereavement in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is a new phenomenon; the research questions will guide this study to understand the lived experience of individuals that process bereavement in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research questions were (1) What are the experiences of those that processed death without rituals or traditions during COVID-19, and (2) How has COVID-19 transformed and …

Grieving Experiences Of Undergraduate College Students, Alexia V. Rehling

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the well-being of bereaved versus non-bereaved undergraduate students. Additionally, they were asked to report how many losses they have experienced, the characteristics of the most difficult loss, and their experiences with grief. Lastly, data on use of and access to support sources was collected as well as their perceived helpfulness. Results showed that bereaved undergraduates (i.e., those who indicated experiencing at least one significant loss) reported lower well-being than non-bereaved individuals. Further, 4% of participants met the criteria to receive a diagnosis of Prolonged Grief Disorder, 32.4% reported experiencing the separation distress …

Exploring Songwriting With Bereaved Adolescents: A Literature Review, Jordan Waters

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review explores and identifies essential aspects of songwriting with bereaved adolescents. First, it provides a description of grief and its processes with primary theoretical models. This is followed by a deeper look into adolescent grief, how it has been viewed in Western culture, along with and corresponding mental health needs. Expressive arts and music therapy approaches to grief and loss are explored, including a detailed of songwriting with bereaved adolescents. Improvisation and therapeutic relationship were found to be two crucial aspects to effective songwriting interventions with bereaved adolescents; person-centered approaches were used to develop authentic relationships with adolescent …

Moving With The Lgbtq+ Community In Grief And Elderhood: A Literature Review, Marea Newell

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is a therapeutic approach that incorporates the physical, emotional, and cognitive processes as a method for healing. Within the field of DMT, there has been limited research working with the elderly LGBTQ+ bereaved community. This research inquiry aims to expose this gap in the literature and offer approaches for future research based on the current literature in DMT and psychology. Through a review of literature conducted on google scholar and Lesley University’s library, relevant articles examining the experience of grief among elderly LGBTQ+ individuals, DMT among elderly and bereaved populations, and working with individuals who have experienced …

Development Of A Method - All In The “Letters”: Exploring The Relationship Between Expressive Arts Therapy And The Grieving Process With Adolescents, Robby Auld

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

There are more than 5.3 million bereaved youth in the United States (Judi’s House/JAG Institute & The New York Life Foundation, 2022), a number that is only growing. Finding effective therapeutic interventions for bereaved youth is an ethical imperative. This capstone thesis considers the relationship between expressive therapies and bereavement work with adolescents, specifically the use of expressive arts therapy. Grief theories are explored in a literature review, along with a survey of existing empirical research conducted using expressive therapies with bereaved populations. Few empirical studies have focused on expressive arts therapy and bereavement work with adolescents, an observation which …

Prioritizing Bereavement In Counseling Education And Expressive Therapies: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Kayla Frazer

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Bereavement is a topic of clinical counseling that is limited in the education of clinical counselors. This is possibly due to bereavement not being a required course for state licensure or CACREP standards; thus, it stands as a lower priority for colleges/universities to offer a course in this subject. I sought to research new counselors’ perspectives on supporting clients who have experienced bereavement as they may not have had any foundational education on bereavement. Multiple articles have recommended that bereavement should be a prioritized course in master’s level counseling education. As an expressive arts therapy student and counselor in training, …

Healing Stories: Bibliotherapy And Art Therapy As Tools To Support Bereaved Children, A Literature Review, Sarah K. Robinson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

When I was interning at a bereavement center for children as a second-year graduate student, I witnessed the use of children’s books by an art therapist. This made me curious as to whether the joint use of art therapy and bibliotherapy is an effective support for this population. This critical review of the literature explored this idea by first defining art therapy and bibliotherapy, placing them within a historical context, and noting similarities between the two modalities. Recent sources regarding theories and therapeutic approaches for grief and bereavement were gathered and explored to deepen the understanding of how art therapy …

Disenfranchised Grief In Queer Companionship And Chosen Family, Derek Lowell Corns

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examined the ways in which queer people experience disenfranchised grief when mourning the death of a loved one who also identified as queer/LGBTQIA2S+ and whose relationship with one another existed outside of cisgender/heteronormative frameworks. Research suggests that the life experiences as LGBTQIA2S+-identified people can vary in specific ways to those of cisgender heterosexual people, and in the occurrence of death and bereavement, such circumstances can be further complicated and disenfranchised by the types of relationships the bereaved and the deceased shared. Through interviews and qualitative data analysis, this study provided supportive and informative insight into social work practice …

Meditation-Induced After Death Communication: A Contemporary Modality For Grief Therapy, Neda Wassie

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies Advance Publication Archive

Meditation-induced after death communication (MI-ADC) was introduced as a potential modality for grief therapy. Traditional and contemporary approaches were compared in order to evaluate effective paradigms and theories of bereavement. The Continuing Bonds theory of attachment emerged as an adaptive framework for grief therapy, especially with attention to meaning-making and the strength of continued bonds. Considerations were implemented from research in psychomanteum, mediumship, and induced after death communication. Specifically, visual stimuli and timing of after death communications were emphasized. The discussion was encouraging for the conceptualization of MI-ADC as an effective construct and as an inquiry for empirical research.

Grief Experiences Of Mothers After A Child’S Death From A Drug Overdose, Shonetesha L. Quail

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractResearch on young adult deaths primarily focuses on other causes of death such as homicide, suicide, and accidents. There is very little research surrounding maternal bereavement when the cause of death is from a drug overdose. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions, attitudes, and lived experiences of grieving mothers who had a biological, adopted, or stepchild die from a drug overdose when the decease’s age was between 18 and 25. Guided by Le Poi Devin’s multidimensional grief theory, the study sought a better understanding to assist mental health and other healthcare providers in developing individualized …

The Impact Of Creative Arts On Meaning Reconstruction And Loss Adaptation In Widowed Adults, Dani Baker-Cole

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In counseling, helping grieving clients find meaning after significant loss is a unique, multidimensional, and lengthy process. This is particularly true in Western societies, where antithetical linear grief models, supported by hegemonic expectations to move on after loss, add exhausting pressure to speed up an individual’s natural grieving process. For that reason, this study examined how creative arts interventions such as using traditional art media and expressive writing, combined with postmodern, nonlinear, culturally sensitive bereavement models, help individuals explore their loss narrative to make meaning and adapt to loss. Specifically, this study examined the impact of a switch from traditional …

Memorable Messages Received By Bereaved Parents: Using Attribution Theory To Understand Hurt And Compassion, April Samaras

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The communication bereaved parents have with family members, friends, colleagues, and healthcare providers following the death of a child can serve as a great comfort or exacerbate their grief. In order to understand this communication and why bereaved parents find it helpful or harmful, this study examines bereaved parents' experiences of compassionate and hurtful communication using the frameworks of memorable messages (Stohl & Reardon, 1981) and attribution theory (Jones & Davis, 1965; Kelley, 1967). Fifty bereaved parents who lost a child between birth and 25-years-old completed an online survey. Tracy’s (2018) iterative analysis method revealed four types of compassionate messages: …

The Office Of Bereavement Support: An Intervention To Support Grieving Students, Gabriellia Hartz

West Chester University Master’s Theses

In this thesis, I propose an intervention that emphasizes compassion and support that student affairs professionals must have as students process their grief. My intervention aims to create a safe and welcoming space for students dealing with bereavement. To address this concern, I utilize personal experiences along with Worden’s (2008) Four-Phase Task model, and Kübler- Ross’s (1969) five-stage framework of grief. The frameworks listed throughout this thesis have helped shape the intervention proposed. Individuals who are grieving and working toward their higher education degree need support from those around them, especially their university, faculty and staff members, and peers.

Integrative Meaning, Mindfulness, And Traumatic Grief Among Bereaved Adults, Brandy Tidwell

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Traumatic Grief (TG) entails clinically significant expressions of grief and posttraumatic stress following bereavement. TG experiences are more likely following violent, sudden, or accidental losses, which has been largely explained by integrative meaning-making processes. In this study, I aimed to explore relationships between integrative meaning, mindfulness, and TG among a sample of adults (N = 237) bereaved by various circumstances. First, I sought to contribute to findings regarding the negative association between integrative meaning and TG experiences by investigating whether this relationship persists among individuals bereaved by varied circumstances. Second, I sought to explore the role of mindfulness in …

B-Sure (Bereavement Support Research): The Differential Experiences Of Peer And Professional Support In Grief, Andrea Crowley

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

The project aimed to investigate the differential experiences of those who have received peer or professional support for grief and bereavement. Although much is known with regards to the perceived impacts of peer and professional support in general, there is little research surrounding these support types in the context of grief and bereavement, the potential for these support types to be complementary, and how the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the experiences of those receiving these forms of support. The main goal of this project was to address a significant gap in the literature by investigating the following questions: …