Dying, Death, Suicide and Grief

Daniel L. Sonnenberg

Below are online and print resources for understanding and treatment of grief after loss including the death of a loved one, prevention and support after suicide, as well as understanding and preparing for the process of dying and death.

Online Grief Support 

Web Healing, the internet’s first interactive grief website, has served the bereaved on the net since 1995. It offers grief discussion boards where men and women can discuss issues related to grief and healing or browse recommended grief books. The site’s originator, Tom Golden, LCSW, is an internationally known psychotherapist, author, and speaker on the topic of healing from loss. http://webhealing.com/

The Compassionate Friends: Supporting Family After a Child Dies. Whether your family has had a child die (at any age, from any cause), or you are trying to help those who have gone through this life-altering experience, The Compassionate Friends exists to provide friendship, understanding, and hope to those going through the natural grieving process. Through a network of more than 625 chapters with locations in all fifty states, as well as Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, The Compassionate Friends has been supporting bereaved families after the death of a child for four decades. http://www.compassionatefriends.org

Dealing with Grief

MyGriefAssist online resources: About grief and how to help, grief fact sheets, postcards, posters, inspiration and resources.

Grief associated with Chronic or Long-Term Illness:

Suicide Prevention and Resources

ARTICLES

A Suicide Care Plan: One Church’s Model – Kendra Fabel (Journal of Biblical Counseling

Dealing with Suicide (Notes from Pastoral Counseling seminary course)

BOOKS IN PRINT AND ON KINDLE

The Essentials of Suicide Prevention: A Blueprint for Churches – Karen Mason

The Suicide Prevention Pocket Guidebook: How to Support Someone Who is Having Suicidal Feelings – Joy Hibbins

Rethinking Suicide: Why Prevention Fails, and How We Can Do Better – Craig J. Bryan

Preaching Hope in Darkness: Help for Pastors in Addressing Suicide from the Pulpit – Scott M. Gibson, Karen E. Mason

The Suicide Funeral (or Memorial Service): Honoring Their Memory, Comforting Their Survivors – Melinda Moore

Caring for the Dying and Preparing for Death

Dying Matters: Raising Awareness of Dying, Death and Bereavement 

The Art of Dying Well: Rethinking the Art of Accompaniment at the End of Life 

Crossing the Creek: A Practical Guide To Understanding Dying Process
http://crossingthecreek.com

Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
http://www.aahpm.org

American Hospice Foundation
http://www.americanhospice.org

Americans for Better Care of the Dying
http://www.abcd-caring.org

American Society of Psychosocial & Behavioral Oncology/AIDS (ASPBOA) and The International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS)
http://www.ipos-aspboa.org

Approaching Death: Improving Care at the End of Life
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/approaching

Barbara Ziegler Palliative Care Education Program
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
http://www.mskcc.org/zpep

Center to Advance Palliative Care
http://www.capc.org

Dale Larsen’s Web Page
http://www.scu.edu/Hospice

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
http://www.dana-farber.org/pat/support/pain_default.asp

End of Life Nursing
Education Consortium (ELNEC)
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/elnec

End of Life Physician Education Resources (EPERC)
http://www.eperc.mcw.edu/

Growth House, Inc.
http://www.growthhouse.org/

Hospice Cares
http://www.Hospice-cares.com/cons.html

Hospice Foundation of America
http://www.hospicefoundation.org/

Hospice Hands Webring
http://www.growthhouse.org/rings.html

Innovations in End-of-Life Care
http://www.edc.org/lastacts/

International Hospice Institute and College
http://www.hospicecare.com/

Last Acts
http://www.lastacts.org/

Last Chapters, Stories about living with dying

Legacies
http://www.legacies.ca

Naropa University School of Extended Studies
Contemplative End-of-Life Care: A Certificate Program for Healthcare Professionals

NPR
The End of Life
Exploring Death in America
http://www.npr.org/

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
http://www.nhpco.org/

National Prison Hospice Association
http://www.npha.org

On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying
Thirteen/WNET New York
http://www.pbs.org/onourownterms

Partnership for Caring
http://www.partnershipforcaring.org

Project on Death in America
Soros Foundation
http://www.soros.org/death.html

Promoting Excellence in End-of-Life Care
http://www.promotingexcellence.org

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
http://www.rwjf.org

Spiritual Care Program
http://www.spcare.org

The National Center for Advanced Illness Coordinated Care
http://www.coordinatedcare.net

Toolkit of Instruments to Measure End of Life Care
http://www.toolkit.htm

Yahoo’s Hospice Links
http://www.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Death/Hospice/

Books on Dying, Death and Grief

Tuesdays with Morrie
Albom, Mitch
Doubleday, New York, 1997

Hospice Care for Children
Armstrong -Dailey, Ann and Zarbock, Sarah, eds.
Oxford University Press: Second Edition, New York, 2001

When Life Becomes Precious: A Guide for Loved Ones and Friends of Cancer Patients
Babcock, Elise NeeDell
Bantam Books, New York, 1997

Medical Care of the Soul: A Practical and Healing Guide to End-Of-Life Issues for Families, Patients, and Health Care Providers
Bartlow, Bruce G.
Johnson Books, Boulder, 2000

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Bauby, Jean-Dominique
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1997

The Least of These My Brethren: A Doctor’s Story of Hope and Miracles on an Inner City AIDS Ward
Baxter, D.J.
Crown, New York, 1997

The Denial of Death
Becker, Ernest
The Free Press, New York, 1973

The Gift of Peace: Personal Reflections
Bernardin, Joseph Cardinal
Loyola Press, Chicago, 1997

The Hospice Handbook: A Complete Guide
Berresford, Larry
Little Brown & Company, 1993

Facing Death: Images, Insights and Interventions: A Handbook for Educators, Healthcare Professionals, and Counselors
Bertman, Sandra L.
Taylor & Francis, 1991

Grief and the Healing Arts
Bertman, Sandra L.
Baywood Publishing Company, Inc., Amityville, New York, 1999

In the Shadow of Illness: Parents and Siblings of the Chronically Ill Child
Bluebond-Langner, Myra
Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1996

Mourning & Mitzvah: A Guided Journal for Walking the Mourner’s Path Through Grief to Healing
Brener, Anne
Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, 1993

Signs of Life: A Memoir of Dying and Discovery
Brookes, T.
Random House, New York,1997

The Gifts of the Body
Brown, Rebecca
HarperCollins, New York, 1994

Dying Well: The Prospect for Growth at the End of Life
Byock, Ira
Putnam/Riverhead, 1997

The Troubled Dream of Life: In Search of a Peaceful Death
Callahan, Daniel
Touchstone/Simon & Shuster, New York, 1993

The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Medicine
Cassell, E.J.
Oxford University Press, New York,1991

Long Goodbye: The Deaths of Nancy Cruzan
Colby, William F.
Hay House
, 2002

Stay Close and Do Nothing: A Spiritual and Practical Guide to Caring for the Dying at Home
Collett, Merrill
Andrews McMeel, Kansas City, 1997

Grieving: A Love Story
Coughlin, Ruth
Random House, New York, 1993

Managing Death in the Intensive Care Unit: The Transition from Cure to Comfort
Curtis, Randall J. and Rubenfeld, Gordon D.
Oxford University Press, 2001

Fading Away: The Experience of Transition in Families With Terminal Illness
Davies, Betty et al.
Baywood Publishing, Amityville, 1995

Caring in Remembered Ways: The Fruit of Seeing Deeply
Davis, Maggie Steincrohm
Heartsong Books, 1999

Intimate Death: How the Dying Teach Us How to Live
De Hennezel, Marie
Knopf, New York, 1997

Living With Life-Threatening Illness : A Guide for Patients, Their Families, and Caregivers
Doka, Kenneth
Lexington Books, 1993

Living With Grief When Illness is Prolonged
Doka, Kenneth J. and  Davidson, J., eds.
Taylor & Francis, Washington DC, 1997

The Oxford Book of Death
Enright, D.J.
Oxford University Press, 1993 Paperback

Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine
Doyle, Derek; Hanks, Geoffrey W.C. and MacDonald, Neil  (Editors)
Oxford University Press, Second Edition 1998

Hard Choices for Loving People: CPR, Artificial Feeding, Comfort Measures Only and the Elderly Patient
Dunn, Hank
A&A Publishers, 1999 Paperback

Liberating Losses: When Death Brings Relief
Elison, Jennifer and McGonigle, Chris
Perseus Books, Cambridge, MA, 2003

Mortal Acts: Eighteen Empowering Rituals for Confronting Death
Feinstein, David
HarperCollins, 1993 Paperback

Rituals for Living & Dying Rituals for Living and Dying : From Life’s Wounds to Spiritual Awakening
Feinstein, David and Mayo, Peg Elliot
Harper San Francisco, 1990

The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness and Ethics
Frank, Arthur W.
University of Chicago Press, 1995

Man’s Search for Meaning
Frankl, V.E.
Rev. ed. Washington Square, New York, 1984 Paperback

Man’s Search for Meaning
Frankl, V.E.
Rev. ed. Washington Square, New York, 1984

You Can Help Someone Who’s Grieving
Frigo, Victoria; Fisher,  Diane  and  Cook, Mary Lou
Penguin Books, 1996

Seduced by Death: Doctors, Patients and the Dutch Cure
Hendin, Herbert
WW Norton & Co. Inc., New York, 1997

All Kinds of Love: Experiencing Hospice
Jaffe, Carolyn andEhrlich,  Carol H.
Baywood Publishing. Amityville, 1997

R.I.P. The Complete Book of Death and Dying
Jones, C.
HarperCollins, New York, 1997

A Different Kind of Health
Justice, Blair
Peak Press, 1998

Mortally Wounded: Stories of Soul Pain, Death and Healing
Kearney, Michael
Marino Books, Dublin, 1996

Dancing With Mister D: Notes on Life and Death
Keizer, Bert
Doubleday, New York, 1997

Companion to Grief: Finding Consolation When Someone You Love has Died
Kelley, Patricia
Simon & Shuster, New York, 1997

The Rights of the Dying: A Companion for Life’s Final Moments
Kessler, David
Harper Collins, 1997

The Courage to Laugh: Humor, Hope and Healing in the Face of Death and Dying
Klein, Allen
Tarcher/Putnam, 1998

Love is Stronger Than Death
Kreeft, P.
St. Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1979

On Death and Dying
Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth
Collier Books, 1997 Paperback

On Death and Dying
Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth
Scribner 1997

To Live Until We Say Goodbye
Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth
Fireside/Simon & Shuster, New York, 1978

Dying with Dignity: A Plea for Personal Responsibility
Kung, H., and  Jens, W.
Continuum, New York, 1995

When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Kushner, H.S.
Avon, New York, 1981

The Helper’s Journey: Working with People Facing Grief, Loss, and Life-Threatening Illness
Larson, Dale G.
Research Press, Champaign, IL, 1993

The Hospice Choice: In pursuit of a Peaceful Death
Lattanzi-Licht, Marcia, Mahoney, John J. and Miller, Galen W.
Fireside, Simon & Schuster,  NY, 1998

Adding Value to Long-Term Care: An Administrator’s Guide to Improving Patient Experience, Staff Performance and Financial Health
Lazer, Dianne and Schwartz-Cassell, Tobi
Jossey-Bass, 2000

Who Dies? An Investigation of Conscious Living and Conscious Dying
Levine, Stephen
Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1982

A Grief Observed
Lewis, C.S.
Bantam Books, New York, 1961

Facing Death and Finding Hope: A Guide for the Emotional and Spiritual Care of the Dying
Longaker, Christine
Doubleday, 1998

The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade
Lynch, Thomas
WW Norton & Co, New York, 1997

By No Means:
The Choice to Forgo Life-Sustaining Food and Water

Lynn, Joanne (Editor)
Indiana University Press, 1990

Handbook for Mortals:
Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness

Lynn, Joanne, and Harrold, Joan
Oxford University Press, 1999

Improving Care for the End of Life: A Sourcebook
Lynn, Joanne; Lynch Schuster, Janice; Kabcenell, Andrea
Oxford University Press, 2000

Elder Rage: or Take My Father… Please!
Marcell, Jacqueline
Impressive Press, Second Edition, 2001

Graceful Passages: A Companion for Living and Dying
Malkin, Gary Remal  and Stillwater, Michael
Companion Arts, 2000

An Ocean of Time: Alzheimer’s Tales of Hope and Forgetting
Mathiasen, P.
Scribner, New York, 1997

 DYING: A Book of Comfort
McNees, P., Ed
Warner Books, 1998

Readings in Thanatology
Morgan, John D., Ed.
Baywood Publishing, Amityville, New York, 1997

The Singing Bird Will Come: An AIDS Journal
Noonan, John R.
Canticle Press, Latham, New York, 1997

Choices at the End of Life: Finding Out What Your Parents Want Before It’s Too Late
Norlander, Linda and McSteen, Kerstin 
Fairview Press, 2001

How We Die: Reflections on Life’s Final Chapter
Nuland, S.B.
Knopf, New York, 1994

What the Dying Teach Us: Lessons on Living
Oliver, Reverend  Samuel Lee
The Haworth Pastoral Press, New York, 1998

Death: The Trip of a Lifetime
Palmer, Greg
Harper, San Francisco, 1993

Raising Lazarus
Pensack, Robert and  Williams, Dwight
G.P. Putnam & Sons, 1994

A Midwife Through the Dying Process: Stories of Healing and Hard Choice at the End of Life
Quill, T.E.
Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1997

I’m Here to Help: A Guide for Caregivers, Hospice Workers, and Volunteers
Ray, M. Catherine
Bantam Books, New York, 1997

Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal
Remen, Rachel N.
Riverhead/Putnam, New York, 1996

My Grandfathers Blessings : Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging
Remen, Rachel N.
Riverhead/Putnam, New York, 2001

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
Rinpoche, Sogyal
Harper, San Francisco, 1992

Saying Goodbye to Daniel: When Death is the Best Choice
Rothman, J.C.
Continuum, New York, 1995

The Death of a Christian: The Order of Christian Funerals
Rutherford, R. and Barr, T.
The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, 1990

Dying At Home: A Family Guide for Caregiving
Sankar, Andrea
Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1991

Living Posthumously: Confronting the Loss of Vital Powers
Schmookler, A. B.
Henry Holt, New York, 1997

Surving the Fall: The Personal Story of an AIDS Doctor
Selwyn, Peter A.
Yale University Press, 1998

Living Our Dying: A Way to the Sacred in Everyday Life
Sharp, J.
Hyperion, New York, 1996

Hospice and Palliative Care: Concepts and Practice
Sheehan, Denice and Forman, Walter B.
Jones and Bartlett Series in Oncology, 1996

Learning to Fall: The Blessings of an Imperfect Life
Simmons, Philip E.
Xlibris, 2001

The Grace in Dying: How we are Transformed Spiritually as we Die
Singh, Kathleen Dowling
Harper, San Francisco, 1998

Caregiving: Hospice-Proven Techniques for Healing Body and Soul
Smith, Douglas
Macmillan, New York, 1997

Forced Exit: the Slippery Slope from Assisted Suicide to Legalized Murder
Smith, Wesley J.
Times Books/Random House, New York, 1997

Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors
Sontag, Susan
Anchor/Doubleday, New York, 1977

A Few Months to Live
Staton, Jana; Shuy, Roger; and  Byock, Ira 
Georgetown University Press, Baltimore, 2001

A Time to Grieve: Meditations for Healing After the Death of a Loved One
Staudacher, Carol
Harper, San Francisco, 1994

The Presence of the Dead on the Spiritual Path
Steiner, Rudolf
Anthroposophic Press, New York, 1990

The Healing Art of Storytelling
Stone, Richard
Hyperion, New York, 1997

Life Worth Living: How Someone You Love Can Still Enjoy Life in a Nursing Home: The Eden Alternative in Action
Thomas, W. H.
Acton VanderWyk & Burnham, 1996

My Own Country: A Doctor’s Story
Verghese, Abraham
Vintage Books/Random House, New York, 1995

The Open Road: Walt Whitman on Death & Dying
Vest, Joe, ed.
Four Corners Editions, Mesa, 1996

The Good Death: The New American Search to Reshape the End of Life
Webb, Marilyn
Bantam Books, 1997

Physician-Assisted Suicide
Weir, Robert F. Ed.
Indiana University Press, 1997

Affirming the Darkness: An Extended Conversation About Living With Prostate Cancer
Wheeler, Chuck and Martha
Memoirs Unlimited, Beverly, MA, 1996

It’s All Good: Emails from a Dying Best Friend
Widran, Jonathan
Xlibris,  2003

Grace and Grit: Spirituality and Healing in the Life and Death of Treya Killam Wilber
Wilber, Ken
Shambhala, Boston, 1991

Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
Williams, Terry Tempest
Vintage Books, New York, 1991 

The Healing Power of Creative Mourning
Yager, Jan
Hannacroix Creek Books, April 2000

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