By Sue Shealy, MSW, ACSW, DCSW
Introduction
When the dying process moved from the home into hospitals and other institutions, Americans may have lost much of what earlier generations knew about the care of the dying and how to deal with loss and the process of grief.
These days many of us take two or three days off from work after a loved one dies and then are expected to become productive. Thanks can be very confusing who is still in the early stages of grief and loss. A grieving person may feel guilty for taking the time needed to grief and feel like a failure for not being stronger.
How Social Workers Help
Social workers can help the grieving person understand grief as the process of healing after a loss has occurred and to value it as useful, natural, healthy, and unavoidable. Even if others expect the grieving person to heal after only a few days, grief like any other healing process takes its own time.
Social workers can help the grieving person to set limits on their time, energy, and involvement so that the process of grief can go well and so that others can respect their need and right to grieve.
Social workers can provide explanations that grief feelings are normal and reassurances that like all processes, grief ends when its healing work is allowed to be done. If the grieving process seems to be very complicated, a social worker can refer the person to a grief counselor for additional help.
