Dealing with Loss

Coping With the Loss of a Fellow Employee Though Death

"Loss confronts us with the difficulty and hard necessity of mourning."

This particular presentation was designed to deal with the trauma of an impending death of a friend and fellow employee at work. It was prepared with the understanding that there were close bonds with the person who was dying and that feelings of loss and grief were affecting the company's working environment and productivity. The firm also wanted to enable their staff to cope effectively with their grief and empower them to offer comfort to their dying friend.

The mini workshop was conducted over an extended noon hour period.

The material was based on the text "Understanding Grief: Helping Yourself Heal" by Dr. Alan Wofelt and the course notes from his training workshop in Colorado.

Workshop Outline

• Definition of Mourning
• The Freedom to Mourn
• Common Myths about Grief and Mourning

- grief and mourning are the same
- grief and mourning progress in predictable and orderly stages
- move away from grief, not toward it
- following the death, the goal is to "get over it" ASAP
- tears expressing grief are only a sign of weakness


• Taking Care of Myself
• The Twelve Freedoms of Healing
• Steps in Comforting the Terminally Ill