Loss and Grief

Neil Thompson is Director of Studies at the Neil Thompson Academy and a visiting professor at the Open University. He has been involved with the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement for over 30 years.

Neil Thompson has given us a uniquely helpful resource for professionals and paraprofessionals who find individuals, families and communities coming to terms with loss in their practice. The book synthesizes and draws the wisdom from current bereavement literature and practice in a way that gives readers both the intellectual framework and practical advice to bring their own skills and resources to their clients. Thompson understands loss broadly. While the death of a significant person is the paradigm, he understands that many of the same dynamics play out in other losses causes, ranging from economic conditions to physical disability. Thompson's writing is clear, the case vignettes well chosen, and the practical advice solid.Dennis Klass, PhD, Author of Culture, Consolation, and Continuing Bonds in Bereavement: The Selected Works of Dennis Klass (Routledge, 2022).There cannot be a manual for how to grieve, but Dr Thompson has crafted an informative manual for practitioners to understand responses to loss and how to support people who are grieving. He goes beyond psychosocial theories to describe the wider contexts and experiences of grief, including social, cultural and spiritual aspects. Dr Thompson confronts the challenges people may face when grieving, acknowledging the that grief is not limited to death-related losses. Unlike many other books about grief, this book crucially provides a critical and holistic perspective that blends theory and practice. Professor Erica Borgstrom, The Open University This manual is Neil Thompson’s magnum opus! As one of the leading scholars of dying, death and bereavement, his work represents the best of analytical powers. The manual is impressive in its scope and theoretical analysis. It analyses the many approaches in the field and, in a clear and understandable fashion, is able to present both the theoretical approaches that are false and those that are acceptable. His use of a sociological approach demonstrates that many attempts to explain loss and grief using a psychological model are without foundation and that the sociological explanations offer a solid, practical way to understand human behaviour. This book is not only a must for courses in the sociology of dying and death classes, it is destined to become a standard in the field. Anyone who hopes to understand the field of thanatology needs to read this soon-to-be classic!Dr Gerry Cox, Emeritus Professor, The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

• Introduction Part 1: Making Sense of Grief 1. Loss and Grief 2. Crisis and Trauma 3. The Social Context Part 2: Grief and Healing 4. Political Grief 5. Grief through the Lifecourse 6. Experiencing Grief 7. Responding to Grief I: The Personal Response 8. Responding to Grief II:The Professional Response Part 3: Grief without Healing 9. Complications in Grieving 10. Grief and Psychological Problems 11. Grief and Social Problems 12. Conclusion 13. Guide to Further Learning