Recent Stories
Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My colleagues and I are currently recruiting clients for a traumatic loss group in our clinic, one that draws on your approach to grief therapy as meaning reconstruction, which has strong relevance when losses are sudden and often violent. The group is designed to run 12 weeks, and is closed, meaning that […]
Continue ReadingGrieving for a Husband/Father During the Holidays Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My husband Don died 9 months ago after a rapid decline; and his lungs basically stopped working, even with oxygen treatments. His death has been hard for us as a family in many ways, as he lived only about 6 months after getting the diagnosis, and […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer– My husband died just over a year ago, so on January 1st I will start my second year without him, and I am not looking forward to it. It’s not that I am immobilized by grief, as I have gotten better across the months in that department, and actually feel pretty good […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, I am a widower (although I don’t like this moniker) after more than 30 years of marriage. I don’t understand why “widowers” are not in the highest demand. We have proven our capacity for commitment, as well as have tons of experience in child rearing, relationships, and the refinement of how to […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My daughter killed a young man when her car ran into his motorcycle. It was determined that the accident was not her fault. Nevertheless, she was so bereaved that we had to take her to a Critical Care facility. How does someone grieve for someone they don’t know? How does someone recover […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, I’m a therapist in general practice who was just referred a couple who had lost a small child. The mother called to make the appointment and emphasized that her husband was willing to accompany her, but she also said they seemed to be “on different pages” in dealing with their loss. We […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, Since my partner died three months ago, I feel totally lacking in any desire to be involved in life. I just want to let days slide past without going anywhere, doing anything, seeing anyone. Going to places we loved and knew is hugely upsetting; meeting people who ask how I’m doing reduces […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, I have worked for bereavement support centers for the past four years as a member of the clinical staff; however, I have realized that I may not want to focus on clinical practice. I am still passionate about grief and want to contribute to our field in a different, but still meaningful, […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, Why is it so hard? I lost my sister in the spring, then my husband a month later, then my son two months later. It’s been a losing battle I just don’t know how to handle this. Paulina Dear Paulina, When a person has a litany of losses in such close succession […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, I am a nurse who works in a palliative care unit of a major metropolitan hospital, where I specialize in bereavement care. Although the work is very satisfying, it is also frustrating, as I seem to be flooded with referrals for grief therapy from several hospital units when a patient dies, and […]
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