Grief River: A New Approach for Understanding and Supporting Loss (Self-Study)

Course overview

The Grief River model evolved organically from two dominant conceptual metaphors describing grief as waves and time as a river. It makes use of the phases of a river (headwaters, rapids, run, delta, and rejoining the sea) and integrates a host of other water-related analogies to provide a coherent narrative (model), helping to orient a person's current loss within the context of the entire life journey. It acknowledges the personal and environmental factors contributing to the intensity and duration of the rapids and offers tips (targeted interventions) that hospice professionals can suggest to those seeking assistance to navigate their way toward calmer waters. The Grief River model should be considered a complementary or adjunctive approach to contemporary evidence-based research and practice in the field of thanatology. Its strength lies in providing connection and consolation through fostering ecological relationships and validation and inspiration through a multidisciplinary dialogue between thanatology research, the arts and humanities, philosophy, spirituality, and personal experiences. The objective of this webinar is not to supply participants with a map for the grief journey but rather to outfit hospice and health care providers with a compass and additional supplies needed to companion the bereaved.