Non-Death Loss and Grief

Darcy L. Harris, PhD, RN, RSW, FT, is an associate professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Programs and the coordinator of the Thanatology Program at King’s University College at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. She also maintains a private clinical practice and does consulting and presentation work specializing in issues related to change, loss, transition, and grief.

"The field has been waiting far too long for a book like this! Harris, an international authority on grief in the context of non-death losses, has distilled her vast clinical experience and theoretical knowledge into a highly readable and practical text. Bringing together leading international scholars and clinicians, the volume eloquently explores this vital subject in a deeply considered and ultimately practical way. Its exploration of individual, social, cultural, and political perspectives leaves the reader with a deep understanding of the impact of a wide range of non-death losses. I cannot recommend this ground-breaking book highly enough."— Christopher Hall, MA, BEd, GradDipAdol&ChildPsych, director, Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement; past chair, International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement; past president, Association for Death Education and Counseling"Too often the array of non-death losses which arise in many of life’s settings are not credited as requiring support as well as therapeutic interventions. This collection of the impressive writings of specialists in this field provides understanding as well as useful methods for providing direct care." — J. Shep Jeffreys, EdD, FT, assistant professor, Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine"Harris offers an unprecedented and very welcome collection representing a rich diversity of non-death-related losses. Along with the sorrows and brokenness these losses bring into grievers’ lives are the challenges in relearning how to live with hope and meaning, and this volume provides guidance for those who offer them compassionate support." — Thomas Attig, PhD, author of How We Grieve: Relearning the World

• 1. Non-Death Loss and Grief: Laying the Foundation Part One: The Social Context of Loss and Grief 2. Disenfranchised Grief and Non-Death Losses 3. Social Death 4. Discrimination, Oppression, and Loss 5. Mourning in Trump’s America: An Existential Account of Political Grief Part Two: Understanding and Treating the Unresolved Grief of Ambiguous Loss 6. Losses of Birth Mothers in the Adoption Triad 7. Living in a Liminal Space: The Experience of Caring for a Spouse with Alzheimer’s Disease 8. Grief and Loss in Addictions 9. Ambiguous Loss in Coming Out and Trans*itioning 10. Supporting the Families of Missing People: More Than an Investigation Part Three: Nonfinite Loss: Living with Ongoing Loss and Grief 11. Nonfinite and Cumulative Loss in Foster Care 12. The Loss of Loneliness in Emerging Adults 13. Families and Children’s Experiences of Loss in the Family Justice System Rachel Birnbaum 14. Midlife Children Caring for Their Aging Parents Part Four: Chronic Sorrow 15. Parenting a Child with a Serious Disability 16. Environmental Grief 17. Grief and Mental Illness Part Five: Tangible and Intangible Losses 18. The Threshold of Shattered Dreams 19. Sexual Assault, Loss, and the Journey to Justice 20. Loss and Forced Displacement 21. Loss of Love: When the Relationship is What Dies Part Six: Pulling It All Together: Change, Loss, and Transition 22. Where’s the Grief in Non-Death Loss Research? 23. Supporting People Through Living Losses 24. Meaning-Making After Non-Death Losses