We are delighted to announce that
next month 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 specialises 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 specialised 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

 

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9th International Conference on Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society and
ADEC 33rd Annual Conference

June 21 - 25, 2011

InterContinental Miami, Miami, Florida USA

The five keynote speakers for the 9th International Conference on Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society have been announced as:

Dr. Solomon Benatar, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Director Bioethics Centre, University of Cape Town

Dr. Paul Boelen, Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Dr. Pauline Boss, Emeritus Professor, Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota

Dr. Joan Halifax, Buddhist teacher, anthropologist, author, and social activist; founder of the Upaya Zen Center, a Buddhist study and social action center in Santa Fe, New Mexico and founder of the Project on Being with Dying, which trains heath care professionals in contemplative care of the dying, and

Dr. David Kissane, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Director, and formerly with the Centre for Palliative Care, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

We will being you further details on this important international conference as they become available.

A small gesture is making a big difference to the survivors of the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires. Melbourne woman, Sallyanne Craig has started the "Comforting Cup of Tea" project. She is gift-boxing fine china teacups, saucers and plates, for those who lost most of their possessions in the fires.

This project was recently featured on the ABC television program Collectors. The program segment can be viewed here.

If you've got a nice bit of bone china and you'd like to help or you would like further information about the project, you can contact Sallyanne by email at Sallyanne@arkpictures.com.au or by telephone or SMS on 0418 550 150.

The ACGB is funded by the Department of Human Services to provide a statewide specialist bereavement service for individuals, children and families who need assistance following the death of someone close to them. A range of specialist services and programs are provided across Victoria, and currently we provide services for over 1,000 new people each year.

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 Service
This 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 Service
This 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.

CareSearch palliative care knowledge network (or more simply CareSearch) is a suite of palliative care information and resources available at www.caresearch.com.au.

CareSearch palliative care knowledge network is an online resource consolidating evidence-based and quality information for various groups within the palliative care community. The website has been funded by the Australian Government as part of the National Palliative Care Program.

The website is designed to support health professionals involved in providing palliative care and those needing palliative care and their families and friends.

A section on Bereavement, Grief and Loss has recently been updated and covers:

    Grief and sadness
    Children and grief and loss
    Loss of a child
    Grief and loss resources
    Remembering and recovering

Since the inception of the Compassionate Employer Recognition Awards in 2004, 86 Victorian organisations have been recognised for their outstanding support to their employee following the death of a loved one.

The annual recognition program, conducted by The Compassionate Friends Victoria Inc., providing Mutual Support Self Help services to bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents, was initiated to acknowledge and highlight organisations that were going above and beyond standard workplace bereavement practices.

In recognising organisations supportive practices towards bereaved employees, the Awards program brings greater community awareness to grief and loss and the impact on employment and work. The Awards inspire and encourage organisations and workplaces to review their current practices, and provide best practice and practical examples of effective ways of incorporating bereavement support into the workplace.

Further information, including nomination forms can be found here.

An invitation to contribute:

In July 2008, in association with the 8th International Conference on Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society, a collection of poetry and prose submitted by bereaved people entitled Rememberings Volume 1, was published. This beautiful collection has 60 contributions from bereaved people.

In his foreword, Professor James W. Pennebaker from the University of Texas writes:

"This volume brings together powerful writings that express people's feelings and thoughts about the losses they have experienced. Over the last two decades, hundreds of researchers across many disciplines in medicine and the social sciences have been examining how writing about emotional upheavals can influence people's emotional and physical health. An increasing number of studies indicate that putting troubling experiences into words can reduce illness, increase immune function, and improve people's moods and connections with others.

The best way to deal with grief has become one of the more complicated problems in psychological research. For traumatic or unexpected losses, expressive writing has been found to be helpful. For more expected deaths, the research community has more difficulty in recommending ways to get through the grief.

As a researcher who has studied the effects of writing, I have been impressed how writing can often make a difference for some people dealing with bereavement in the months and years after a loss. For those who are inspired by the work in this book, I would encourage your experimenting with poetry or prose. Writing is not a panacea. If you find that it doesn't help in your recovery, try something else. If you find that it is helpful, considering sharing your story with others."

We are now inviting contributions to Volume 2. An entry form can be obtained here. The closing date for receipt of entry forms and poetry and prose is Friday 17th July, 2009.

Volunteers are integral to the ability of the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement to able to provide the range of programs and services that we now offer across Victoria.

We are delighted to announce that a further 18 volunteers have recently successfully completed our training program, 8 in Melbourne and 10 in Mooroopna in northern Victoria. Many of these people will be working with support groups, including a group for bereaved children.

If you are interested in assisting in a voluntary capacity with the work of the ACGB Bereavement Counselling and Support Service, please phone us on (03) 9265 2111.

Special Offer

Purchase three back issues of Grief Matters: The Australian Journal of Grief and Bereavement for the special price of $30.00 (normally $18.70 per issue, inclusive of GST).

Download a listing of journal themes, articles and an order form here.