Grief support groups, condolence advice, funeral etiquette and more

Robbie Miller Kaplan's Blog – June 2009 Archive (3)

Supporting the bereaved after a suicide

A member of my community took his life. It was a sudden and traumatic loss and while some people treated his widow with kindness, she shared that she was unprepared for the hurtful actions of others. For example, she saw a friend walking towards her one morning in our small town. The friend saw her too and she quickly crossed the street to avoid her. A colleague also shared a hurtful experience following the suicide of her physician brother. Though she was a child, she vividly…

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Added by Robbie Miller Kaplan on June 23, 2009 at 11:00am — 16 Comments

Lessons from my dad

I see my mother everywhere. Though I never looked like her, I can now see a physical resemblance and so many of my qualities remind me of her. Not so for my dad. Everyone said I looked like him but I no longer can see the resemblance. I never had the good fortune to get to know him and he wasn’t part of my life long enough for me to emulate him in any way.

My father died when I was eleven. While his death was devastating, my mother dedicated herself to raising four…

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Added by Robbie Miller Kaplan on June 15, 2009 at 11:00am — 5 Comments

Four ways to help a friend deal with grief

How can you help a friend who’s numb with grief over the loss of a loved one and at times takes her anger out on you?

You can help your friend deal with her grief with any of the following activities:

1. Physical activity is a wonderful way to channel anger and refocus. You and your friend might make a date to take a weekly walk together in the evening or sign up for an exercise class together. You might need to arrange to pick her up to make sure it happens.

2.…

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Added by Robbie Miller Kaplan on June 3, 2009 at 2:30pm — 3 Comments