C.S. Lewis articulated the idea that both death and other “deaths” can provoke and disrupt us at our core. Early in my career as a counselor educator, I was struck by the necessity and rich value of a “loss informed” framework. It can be a practitioner’s guide to conceptualizing and responding to a client’s narrative and need as a therapeutic alliance is built. I have suggested an inclusive definition of loss as any experience across the lifespan that demands the surrender of something personally significant and/or familiar. Such a lens increases our recognition of grieving as a process not exclusively for the bereaved.

Recently, I have been involved in a qualitative research study interviewing young adults who grew up with an incarcerated parent. Parental absence carries an ambiguity that is permeable and undeniable. The healing relief when those losses are identified, validated, and processed is equally rousing and also undeniable. My hope is that we continue the critical investigation of whether, how, and when our evidence‑based bereavement models and interventions have applicability to non‑death events. Additionally, we need new avenues of research and practice that distinguish what is common, parallel, and unique about death and non‑death experiences. In my roles as thanatologist, educator, and counselor, and in my individual lived human experience I have clearly found the loss‑informed perspective to be central, additive, and compelling.

Now, here are a few ADEC highlights:

The Handbook of Thanatology, 3rd Edition – Available this Fall!

-Self-published and co‑edited. 
-Available in print and digital versions.
-Inclusive of 22 chapters of best thanatology research and practice.
-Authored by diverse contributors.
-Aligned with ADEC’s revised Body of Knowledge.

The ADEC 2022 Annual Conference

-Virtual and in‑person programming design.
-Open conference abstract submission until September 24.
-Intentional invitation for proposals representing concepts defined by the American Psychological Association (Akbar & Parker, 2021) –  Diversity: our social identities that carry power and privilege difference and often marginalization. Equity: the processes, conditions, and resources needed to optimize the functioning of all diverse social identities. Inclusion: the environmental contexts for affirming and celebrating the contribution of difference. 
 
ADEC’s Revamping of Internal & External Communications

-Monthly committee chair meetings to collaborate, cross reference activities, and streamline ADEC efforts.
-Upcoming revisions to our website and social media presence.
-Systematic engagement strategies that target new member recruitment and involvement, match volunteer skill sets with committee needs, and create networking opportunities.
-Outreach to professionals and groups outside our current membership to join the 2nd annual mid‑year event Nov. 13th.

We are accelerating key messaging about ADEC. We are answering an ethical imperative to provide collective international, interdisciplinary, multicultural expertise to the field. We are increasing our thought leadership and evidence‑based visibility at a global level. Most importantly, this is possible only because of your expertise, commitment, and willingness to serve. You are the heart and foundation of ADEC.

With gratitude and purpose as we move forward,

Peggy P. Whiting, EdD, FT

ADEC President 2021-2022

Non-death COVID Articles Written by ADEC Members

Featured Member Profile

Student Profile

Credentialing Council Update

What’s New: New Books from ADEC Members

Members’ Corner

And me, a trusted adult, had no idea how to answer the questions about the virus.

But what I did know how to do was help them recognize their collective response to this prolonged uncertainty. They were grieving. They were experiencing what Harris and Winakuer (2019) described as living losses, and what Boss (2000) coined as ambiguous loss. Being teenagers, of course, they weren’t really interested in how much I knew about these losses. So, I met them, as Wass (1980) suggested, where they were. 

When a student voiced that they were missing someone, or something, or anticipating that an event would have to be altered, postponed, or cancelled, I would agree that it did indeed suck. I would then propose a Five-Minute Pity Party, which could involve ranting, commiserating, laughter, well‑placed profanity, and/or spontaneous dancing, in any order (because grief doesn’t have stages, right?). Lastly, I would offer the opinion that what they were feeling was grief. And that grief, as Kate Atwood reminds us, was good, because it meant that we honored the loss and then learned how to move forward in a new way.

This ‘naming it to tame it’ approach meant that while these losses were acknowledged, my students admitted that they felt heard. I didn’t have to have any concrete answers. What I had for them were ideas and thoughts on how to ford ahead, and not to a new normal, per se, but to a space where they could comprehend that grieving is a healthy, non-finite process. Cadell (2021) says that a loss is a loss is a loss; and, with that in mind, my students ideally will move forward with new tools to navigate the next one.

3.  Heard often in the last few years: Ted, if I awake during the night, I don’t think about my (dead husband, cancer, my son’s addictive choices, my child and virtual learning), no Ted, I worried about the state of the world. For many, a threshold has been crossed of confidence in American/world solidarity and OUR abilities to weather collective storms of climate and community unrest, pandemics, interwoven histories of hope and oppression. Listening for and to accounts of grieving the state of the world can be a first step toward acknowledgement which can then lead to steps toward addressing the sorrows of the world.

Where I teach, we adopted a hybrid model for the 2020‑21 school year. On any given day about half the students were on campus and half were remote. I noticed that students adapted quickly to the new protocols of school during the pandemic, grateful to have school resume in at least some kind of format. 

Some of them embraced the remote learning environment, noting a few of the secondary gains such as more time to sleep and less running around after school to various activities. 

Others struggled with the myriad of secondary losses that accompanied this unusual year. They had a hard time making friends. They dealt with disappointment and frustration each time a sporting event or activity was delayed or canceled. They felt bereft of typical high school experiences such as proms and parties. They struggled academically, noting that online learning just wasn’t as effective for them as in‑person learning. Their “assumptive world” was shattered as they faced a life that was full of unexpected disruptions.

As we approach a new school year I’m sure these disruptions will continue to some degree. How will students cope? As we strive for a return to “normal” we also realize the pandemic is not over. In this liminal space there will be more unexpected secondary gains and losses. Students may struggle not only with pandemic‑related issues, but with concurrent losses such as mental health issues, difficult family situations, and pet loss. And we will continue to grieve, collectively and individually.

Student Profile

When I’m not writing my thesis or creating a lesson plan, I am running around Washington, D.C. trails and parks, and probably stopping to try a new bagel spot along the way.

Do you have a mentor/role model who has significantly affected your career path in thanatology? Tell us why you chose this career path. 

Dr. Karen O’Brien, my research advisor, taught me that while loss is a universal experience, many factors determine the way that someone experiences grief. She’s shown me that research has the potential to create equitable support for people as they mourn. Additionally, my mother, Joan, has always been open about her grief for loved ones throughout my life. She’s taught me that her grief isn’t something to be ashamed of, but instead a passenger on her journey. Because of her, I hope to help others navigate their lives alongside their grief.

What advice would you offer a more junior professional in the field on growing their career or keeping their work fresh?

Sometimes you have to answer your own questions! If you have a question about something and you have a hard time getting an answer, you can be the one to find it. Addressing gaps in the grief literature helps create new treatments, interventions, and sources of support for grievers, so think of your questions as inspiration.

What do you think the future holds for your work and that of others like you? How will that impact what you do?

The field of counseling is only growing, especially as the world grows a bit more comfortable every day with asking for help. I hope the future of this field is not only the expansion of support for grievers and caregivers, but also increased inclusion, accessibility, and equity in the resources that do exist.

As you can imagine, there are many moving parts: from developing and administering an annual exam, reviewing applications, renewals and appeals, and conducting audits to creating policies and setting standards that ensure the integrity of the credential. While the “moving and shaking” is done by the volunteers on the Council and its committees, we count on MHQ, the contracted ADEC management firm, to provide all the additional work that goes into running a certification program and delivering the products to our members and certificants. As you can see, it takes a dedicated and committed team to successfully manage the credentialing program for ADEC.

These past 18 months have brought new challenges and opportunities to thanatology professionals across the globe. Never has the need been greater for the public to be able to identify professionals and service providers who “specialize” in death, dying, loss, grief, and bereavement. The ADEC CT® and FT® are recognized and respected credentials internationally and nothing makes us prouder than to be able to recognize individuals, like you, who have the experience and education needed to earn them.

I am sincerely humbled to serve the ADEC community as your Credentialing Council Chair,

For all information about ADEC’s Certification program: https://www.adec.org/#

Your Credentialing Council and Manager: https://www.adec.org/page/CredentialingOversight

For credentialing related questions, use ONLY to this email: credentialing@adec.org

Tuck Meets a Dragonfly

Charles, Francis.

Maureen Walsh, an ADEC member, wrote this book for grieving children under the pen name, Frances Charles, to honor her parents. Pleasantly illustrated by Susan Nicolaides, it tells the story of Tuck, a friendly looking turtle unable to leave his house to play since his mother’s death. Tuck says he needs assurance that his mother is okay in Turtle Heaven so his best fellow‑turtle friend, Padraic, sets out to find help. This leads finally to Katrina, a new and beneficent dragonfly who brings back to Tuck from the heavenly Golden Window a message from his mother that their “spirits are forever joined and someday we will be together again.” Walsh includes suggestions for how to share this book with grieving children to explore unique beliefs about life after death. It will be useful to parents and counselors to open that sensitive discussion.

Kingston, MA: Float Tide Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 978‑0‑9992113‑2‑8. Hardcover, 29 pages.

Grief after Homicide: Surviving, Mourning, Reconciling

Wolfelt, Alan D. 

Alan Wolfelt explores the emotional complexity that defines grief following a homicide death. His goal is to help homicide grievers feel “seen, safe, and comforted.” Sadly, homicide rates grew significantly with the COVID‑19 pandemic, so this small booklet will be of relevance to many bereaved by sudden and violent loss. In Part 1, Wolfelt examines the prolonged shock and helplessness that a homicide death engenders, the isolation that is common, and the impact of media scrutiny and law enforcement involvement that follow such a death. In Part 2 he applies his “Six Needs of Mourning” template to the circumstances of homicide grief and offers suggestions for grievers to take thoughtful care of their physical, cognitive, social, and spiritual selves. One of Wolfelt’s “Words of Hope and Healing” series, this booklet offers a sense of hope in the midst devastating loss. 

William Peters, founder of the Shared Crossing Project and director of its Research Initiative, notes that their research team recently published an article in the American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine regarding shared death experiences. He also reports that Simon & Schuster will be publishing his book, At Heaven’s Door: What Shared Journeys to the Afterlife Teach About Dying Well and Living Better, in January 2022. The book will offer the first in‑depth portrait of shared death experiences, experiences where a loved one or caregiver reports having shared in part of a dying person’s transition to an apparent afterlife.

Dr. Alan Wolfelt will be presenting a virtual keynote address at a Funeral Expo Convention in Madrid, Spain on September 28, 2021. His presentation is titled “The Why of Meaningful Funerals: Exploring A New Model Being Used in North America.”

Bob Neimeyer is about to publish New Techniques of Grief Therapy: Bereavement and Beyond. This text expands on the previous two Techniques books, featuring innovative approaches with whose lives have been shadowed by loss – whether through bereavement, serious illness, the rupture of a relationship, or other complex or intangible losses, such as of an identity defining career. Contributors include Drs. Kenneth Doka, Darcy Harris, An Hooghe, Sherman A. Lee, Christopher J. MacKinnon, Evgenia (Jane) Milman and other subject experts and thanatology clinicians.

To ensure that your ADEC profile is up‑to‑date, please login to the ADEC website. Once you are logged in, if you are not redirected automatically, simply click on the “My Profile” button in the top navigation panel.

Make sure to review your professional and personal information and edit with the “Edit” link in the headers. Additional contact details as well as your education and experiences will be a helpful resource for your colleagues when searching the Membership Directory.

ADEC offers substantial membership benefits including:

Connects, ADEC's bi-monthly newsletter for members, is interested in your thoughts and work. Please reach out to Connects editors with content submissions, suggestions or ideas:

Editor –Amanda Brace Ed.S, LSC, PCC-S
Assistant Editor –Beverly Rollins BSW, MGA, MA