Fulton, Robert

Digital Commons@Wayne State University

Clinical Sociology ReviewVolume 10 | Issue 1 Article 221-1-1992Clinical Intervention for Bereaved Children: AHospice ModelRobert FultonUniversity of MinnesotaFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/csrThis Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@WayneState. It has been accepted for inclusion in Clinical SociologyReview by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@WayneState.Recommended CitationFulton, Robert (1992) "Clinical Intervention for Bereaved Children: A Hospice Model," Clinical Sociology Review: Vol. 10: Iss. 1,Article 22.Available at: http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/csr/vol10/iss1/22228 CLINICAL SOCIOLOGY REVIEW/1992us with the utility of an interdisciplinary model (especially with the clinicalsociologist serving as a member of the clinical team).There is an old saying in the field that sociology is what sociologists do.There is much truth to this, but until recently the diversity of the fields ofinvolvement of sociologists was unknown (not only to the public, but to othersociologists) about the expanding boundaries of their own discipline. One of themajor complaints that professors often hear from students (if they are open tolistening) is that the professors, themselves, are not aware of the diversity ofoccupational/professional involvements within their discipline. The idea thatsociologists can only teach or do research is a myopic view. Students areincreasingly asking for more career-line opportunities. They do exist and thisbook reveals some of the niches. Professors who are not involved in (nor nec-essarily interested in) clinical sociology should read the handbook in order toenhance their role of advisor to their students about the broadening opportuni-ties within their own discipline.Clinical Intervention for Bereaved Children: A Hospice Model, byElizabeth J. Clark, Grace C. Zambelli, Anne de Jong, and Karen Marse.Montclair, NJ: The Hospice, Inc, 1988. 102 pp., $29.50Robert FultonUniversity of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MinnesotaThis is a manual on bereavement intervention prepared by staff members of TheHospice, Inc. of Montclair, New Jersey for use by hospital and hospice person-nel. In the authors' view, the patient and family, in the face of death, constitutea single unit of care. Effective intervention on behalf of grieving survivors, theypropose, can best be realized through the social support of families after, as wellas prior to, a death. In keeping with this perspective, they describe an ongoingBereavement Intervention Program instituted at the Montclair Hospice in 1985involving both children and parents that, they believe, can serve as a model forother practitioners. The program includes a Creative Arts Therapy Group forchildren and a Companion Bereavement Support Group for parents. Typically,the two groups meet weekly, for one hour, over a ten-week period. They meetseparately, except for two group sessions when they are brought together toreview their progress and to facilitate dialogue between parent and child. Whilea formal evaluation of the program is yet to be completed, the authors reportthat most families describe themselves as more competent to deal with the deathand more understanding of their child's reaction to loss after having participatedin the program.The manual is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the issue ofchildhood bereavement and briefly reviews the contemporary literature on chil-BOOK REVIEWS 229dren's grief and its treatment The second part addresses the task of developingand implementing an intervention program and considers such issues as: adver-tising and recruitment; facilities; initial interviews with families; grief assess-ment instruments and therapeutic tools; activities lists for childrens' and parents'groups; progress notes; evaluation of groups and program; and funding andreimbursement. The bibliography includes not only relevant literature on griefand bereavement, but also items pertinent to the use of art therapy for childrenburdened with loss. An appendix contains examples of the different materialsused in the Program.This manual has the potential to serve its intended audience well. It is, how-ever, burdened by serious flaws. First, it needs careful editing. The far toonumerous errors in grammar, spelling, and syntax seriously distract the readerand interfere with the message that the authors wish to convey. One begins tolose faith when a book written by instructors on death and dying misspells theword cemetery—shades of Stephen King. Secondly, the manual is seriouslybloated—thirty of its 102 pages are blank, for what purpose the authors do notsay. This inflation of the text, the reviewer suspects, would also inflate the costof its publication, and further detracts from what would otherwise be a usefulresource manual.Space does not permit the discussion of the important questions that abereavement intervention program raises for the health care practitioner. Thereviewer would hope that in the next edition of the manual such issues as theethics and utility of grief intervention, the importance of a professionally trainedstaff, or the reliability of different therapeutic tools will be addressed. As themanual now stands it falls short of its laudable goal.Be an Outrageous Older Woman—A RASP*—*Remarkable Aging SmartPerson, By Ruth Harriet Jacobs, Manchester, Connecticut: Knowledge, Ideas,and Trends, Inc. Publisher, 1991. 206 pp., $14.95, paper.Gladys Rothbell, Director,Center for Emigre ProgramsInstitute for Families and ChildrenNew York, New YorkQuestion—What do Ruth Harriet Jacobs and Alan M. Dershowitz have in com-mon? Answer—Both wrote about a group suffering from second-class-citizen-itis, and both prescribed the same cure: large doses of "chutzpah."In his recent book, Chutzpah, Alan Dershowitz suggests that as Jews, "deepdown we see ourselves as second-class citizens—as guests in another person'sland." We have therefore tried not to offend our hosts by looking or acting tooJewish. Instead we have flattered them with attempts to disguise our Jewishness

Clinical Intervention for Bereaved Children: A Hospice Model

http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1233&context=csr

Clinical Intervention for Bereaved Children: A Hospice Model

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Digital Commons@Wayne State University