On the Death of a Child by Celia Hindmarch

On the Death of a Child“I didn’t see that I had anything in common with younger parents who had lost a baby. But when I have heard such parents talking in a group I recognise the same pain. I feel so sorry for those parents. At least we had our son for 19 years. So says Dave, a bereaved father quoted in On the Death of a child. In this revised third edition, the author shows – through interviews, case studies, and reference to the literature – how challenging the death of a child is.

People who can compare the loss of a parent, a spouse and a child, invariably describe their grief for the child as the most painful, enduring, and difficult to survive, no matter how old the child, or whether he or she died during birth or through illness, accident or suicide. Not only is it heartbreaking for the bereaved parents; Hindmarch reminds us that friends, and even health and social care professionals who have been involved in the care of the child can sometimes struggle to cope when confronted with the loss.

The book has three sections: theory and practice, good practice guidelines, and bereavement support. It supplies background information about the effects on parents of losing a child, and guidelines to professionals on what to say, what to do, how to behave and when it is time to be quiet and listen to the real experts: the bereaved parents themselves. This third edition also includes an entirely new chapter covering
developments in bereavement theory since the previous edition was published, such as Stroebe and Schut’s dual process model of bereavement, and new theories of intervention.

In the last chapter, parents tell their admirable stories of loss, hope, meaning and resilience. The key message is clear: that which does not kill you, can make you stronger.

Daan Westerink,
Journalist/Lecturer in journalism and in bereavement, Hogeschool Utrecht University of Applied Sciences

(published in Bereavement Care, an international journal for those who help bereaved people. Volume 30, no 3, December 2011)

Copyright: Bereavement Care / Daan Westerink

Over Daan Westerink 515 Artikelen
pedagoog (MEd), rouwdeskundige, docent en onderwijsontwikkelaar, publicist, mediator, trainer en social media expert.

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