Dear colleague,
Welcome to the March edition of the Grief Brief, the monthly e-newsletter of the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement (ACGB).
Since the publication of last months newsletter Australia has experienced its largest humanitarian disaster since European settlement. The bushfires which took place in the state of Victoria have resulted in approximately 7,500 people being displaced, 2,029 homes destroyed, 78 towns affected and the destruction of 400,000 hectares of property. The death toll currently stands at 210, a figure which is expected to rise in the coming weeks.
We have received many expressions of support from individuals and organisations both within Australia and internationally. Over 150 practitioners have registered their details with us and offered to provide voluntary support to affected communities in the weeks and months ahead. We have established, and continue to add to, a dedicated Victorian Bushfire Information & Support web site which provides information on Grief and Bereavement Organisations; Telephone Support Services; Compassion and Bereavement Payments; Resources and Useful Websites. This information can be accessed here.
I recently wrote an article which was published on
the occasion of the national day of mourning and memorial service. The article, published
in The Sunday Age newspaper, was titled As long as it takes and explored themes of remembrance, grief and 'closure'. A copy of the
article can be downloaded here.
This
edition includes details on how you can subscibe to the ACGB podcast stream and receive free access to recordings of
lectures and keynote presentations made at the 8th International Conference on Grief and
Bereavement in Contemporary Society, held in Melbourne, Australia and
hosted by ACGB in July 2008.
For a limited time we have a 50% discount on the very popular 40-minute video Hard Medicine: A Journey in Adult Grief, available in March for only $35 (plus p&p). This documentary is a sensitive and compelling portrayal of the grief experience complicated through issues such as multiple loss, sudden death and suicide. Four bereaved people talk about their experience, survival and the struggle to accommodate grief into their lives. The video includes a facilitators guide. Described by Prof. Robert Neimeyer as "Artful in its cinematography and sensitive in its portrayal of the many faces of loss, Hard Medicine invites the viewer into the hearts and minds of bereaved people in a way that few such programs succeed in doing...I highly recommend it".
In
this edition you will also find details on new online resources, forthcoming lectures and upcoming conferences.
Christopher HallDirectorAustralian Centre for Grief and Bereavement
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New Online Resources
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 Good grief: And not so good grief
This 60 minute online video presentation by Prof. Sidney Zisook, M.D., Department of Psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego includes a discussion about persistent acute grief and major depression. This program can be viewed here.
A Bereavement Blog
Established in January 2005 this bereavement blog is maintained by Denise Brady, the librarian at St. Christopher's Hospice, London, UK. This blog, which is regularly updated, provides a wealth of information on new publications in the field of bereavement and is well worth revisiting on a regular basis. The blog can be accessed here.
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2009 International Educator
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We are delighted to announce that
Dr. John R. Jordan will be the 2009 International Educator, and will present workshops in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide from 23rd July to 7th August 2009.
Jack Jordan is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Wellesley, MA, and Pawtucket, RI, USA where he specializes in working with loss and bereavement. He is also the founder and until 2007 was the Director of the Family Loss Project, a research and clinical practice providing services for bereaved families. He has specialized in work with survivors of suicide and other losses for more than 30 years. Jack maintains an active practice in grief counselling for individuals and couples. Jack will present two one-day workshops:
Program 1
21st Century Approaches to Grief Counselling and Therapy
Program 2
Traumatic Loss: Bereavement After Sudden, Unexpected and Violent Death
Download a program brochure.
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Upcoming Conferences - International
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 Cruse Bereavement Care National Jubilee Conference "50 Years of Restoring Hope"
Warwick University, July 16 and 17th 2009
Cruse Bereavement Care, the leading UK bereavement support charity, warmly invites you to attend its Golden Jubilee Conference. This conference will be of interest to all those working with bereaved people or anyone with an interest in bereavement.
For 50 years Cruse has been supporting bereaved people through its face-to-face services across the country and through its National Helpline, in addition to providing education and training services to professionals who work with bereaved people. A centrepiece of the commemoration of this important landmark will be the Cruse Golden Jubilee Conference.
Keynote Speakers:
Professor Robert Neimeyer, Professor of Clinical Psychotherapy (University of Memphis, USA)
Professor Neimeyer, international authority on bereavement and meaning, will be discussing the ways in which the experience of loss and bereavement can disrupt and transform the assumptions that help people to make meaning of their lives.
David Trickey, Chartered Consultant Clinical Psychologist
David Trickey will be speaking about the role of bereavement support in restoring hope in traumatically bereaved children and young people.
Brett Kahr, Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Psychotherapy
and Mental Health (Centre for Child Mental Health, London, UK)
Brett Kahr will be speaking about inhibitions of creativity as a form of grief and loss.
A central theme of all the keynote speakers' addresses will be the vital role of professional and caring bereavement support in restoring hope to bereaved people. An exciting range of 16 specialist seminars and workshops focused on supporting the needs of bereaved people will be offered.
Registration open on 9th March 2009.
For further information about Cruse, as well as details on how to book a place at the Conference, go to:
Website: www.cruse.org.uk
Email: cruse@conference.org.uk
Conference Flyer: http://www.cruse.org.uk/conference.html
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The Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) will hold its 31st Annual Conference from April 15-18, 2009. The theme of the conference is Living Beyond Loss: Mending Body, Mind and Spirit.
This is the premier meeting in death education and counselling in North America and provides high quality educational programming including more than 100 plenary and concurrent sessions, courses, workshops and invited speakers addressing the dying process, end-of-life decision-making, assessment and intervention, traumatic death and more.
ADEC 31st Annual Conference
Living Beyond Loss: Mending Body, Mind and Spirit
April 15-18, 2009
Hyatt Regency Dallas
Dallas, Texas USA
2009 Keynote Speakers:
Monica McGoldrick
Living Beyond Loss: Family Responses to Grief
Cecilia Chan
Get SET and GO: Mending Body, Mind and Spirit for Bereaved Persons
Ira Byock, MD
Dying in America: The Nature of Suffering and the Nature of Opportunity Through the End of Life
For further details go to http://www.adec.org/conf/index.cfm
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Envisaging Death: Visual Culture and Dying
University of Birmingham
June 26th 2009
CALL FOR PAPERS
Accompanying a NHS community-based arts initiative on 'Living with Death, Dying and Loss', this interdisciplinary symposium will discuss the following:
· What are the psychological, philosophical or ideological qualities and implications of the visual representation of death?
· How does gender, sexuality, or race, for example, impact upon the representation of illness, murder, suicide, or grief?
· What is the structural or aesthetic function of death in Visual culture?
· How is the exchange between death and visual culture historically or geographically specific?
· How does visual practice or medium affect the representation of death
and its cultural significance?
Download further information on the call for papers here
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Statewide Specialist Bereavement Service - Toll Free Telephone Services
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The Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement provides two toll-free telephone services for bereaved Victorians and those who care for them. Bereavement Information and Referral ServiceThis service provides information and referral assistance to members of the general public who need information on bereavement services available within Victoria. The service can also provide information on bereavement related issues. The service is unable to provide telephone bereavement counselling to callers. Download a copy of our brochure or call 1300 664 786. Practitioner Consultancy ServiceThis service provides information, consultation and support for practitioners who are working with bereaved clients experiencing complex and prolonged bereavements. Download a copy of our brochure or call 1300 858 113. Both services operate Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. |
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Hard Medicine: A Journey in Adult GriefProduced by the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement with funding assistance from the Department of Human Services, this 40-minute documentary is a sensitive and compelling portrayal of the grief process complicated through issues such as multiple loss, sudden death and suicide. Four bereaved people talk about their experience, survival and the struggle to accommodate grief into their lives. This video documentary includes a detailed discussion guide for use in education/training and clinical settings. Hard Medicine: A Journey in Adult Grief is the graphic, yet sensitive portrayal of the grief of four people after the devastating loss of someone they love. The video is available in both VHS-PAL and VHS-NTSC formats and cost $35 (plus p&p - $7 within Australia or $20 international). Buy online - Australian CustomersBuy online - International Customers - PAL version (UK, NZ)Buy online - International Customers - NTSC version (US, Canada)Download an order form
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Offer Expires: April 30th 2009
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This newsletter is sent to more than 7,000 subscribers every month to keep you informed of what is happening in the fields of grief and bereavement, as well as what's new at ACGB.
Archive copies of the Grief Brief can be located here.
http://www.grief.org.au
Phone: +61 3 9265 2100
Facsimile: +61 3 9265 2150
Freecall: (Australia wide) 1800 642 066
This newsletter is published by the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement
©2009 Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement Inc.
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Subscribe to Free Recordings of Grief and Bereavement Lectures and
Conference Keynote Presentations
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The Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement has a podcast stream and makes available at no charge recordings of significant presentations.
A podcast is a series of files which are distributed through an internet feed, to portable media players and personal computers. A podcast is subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added.
These enhanced podcasts contain both audio and images and are accessed through the free iTunes program which can be downloaded here
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Currently there are four programs available as part of the ACGB podcast subscription:
The first episode is a presentation by Prof. Alexander McFarlane, Head of
the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Adelaide, and explores the
theme of Recollections of Horror: Longing and remembrance following traumatic loss.
The second is a lecture by Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton who was at the centre of one of Australia's most publicised murder trials, in which she was convicted of killing her baby daughter, Azaria. The conviction was later overturned.
The third is a lecture given by Prof. Pat Jalland, a Professor of History at the Australian National University, titled Loss and Grief in 20th Century Australia - A historical perspective.
The fourth episode is a recording of the final plenary session held at the conclusion of the 8th International Conference on Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society in July 2008. This discussion features Prof. George Bonanno, Prof. Grace Christ, Prof. Robert Neimeyer, Prof. Mario Mikulincer, Assoc. Prof. Holly Prigerson and Prof. Margaret Stroebe. The session was moderated by Christopher Hall.
In coming month we will be adding additional recordings of keynote
presentations from the 8th International Conference on Grief and
Bereavement in Contemporary Society, including a keynote presentation by Prof. George Bonanno on Resilience, recovery, and chronic grief: Mapping individual differences after loss and a presentation by Prof. Robert Neimeyer on Grief Therapy and the Reconstruction of Meaning.
Click here to subscribe to the ACGB podcast stream |
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