Citation

Barnard A. Br. J. Soc. Work 2019; 49(6): 1692-1694.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/bjsw/bcz004

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Grief, bereavement and loss are inevitable experiences in the human condition. Grieving over death and loss is an essential and vital process that most people are able to experience and emerge from in a healthy manner. Grief is multidimensional, transformational and a unique experience for people experiencing it. Grief is pressed into the service of death and dying (Kubler-Ross, 1989) but can also be experienced in divorce, termination of work, lost expectations and even lost dreams. Studies of grief conventionally focuses on emotional loss but also have physical, cognitive, behavioural, social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical foundations. The only certainty is that life will end and we will die, so it is interesting why everyday understanding of death and grief lags behind what is contained within this book.