Articles And Interviews

Death and Dying

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Sasha McAllum Pilkington on Grace and Storytelling at the End of Life

by Lawrence Rubin
Narrative Clinician, Sasha McAllum Pilkington, shares poignant stories she co-created with hospice clients which honor and celebrate their lives.

A Small Hope: Co-creating a Narrative of Grief – Part I *

by Sasha McAllum Pilkington
In the shadow of grief, Sasha Pilkington helps a couple embrace the gift of life along with their impending loss.

Full Container

by Sylvia Johnson
Couples therapy can unlock and heal the deepest of pains, those related to the loss of a child.

Healing Conversations: Giving Life to the Life of a Person Who Died by Suicide*

by Linda Moxley-Haegert
A compassionate therapist gently and skillfully guides suffering parents through the shadow of their son’s suicide.
Earn 1.5 CE Credits

Deciding How to Die: Narrative Therapy in Palliative Care with Someone Considering Stopping Dialysis

by Sasha McAllum Pilkington
Working with dying clients demands that clinicians honor their choices and desires in end-of-life care.
Earn 1.0 CE Credits

Narrative Therapy in a Cross-Cultural Conversation with Someone Approaching Death

by Sasha McAllum Pilkington
Bridging the distance between herself, a Pakeha" New Zealander, and her client, a Maori" New Zealander, Sasha McAllum Pilkington shows how relationships can mean the difference between life and death.

Krista Tippett on the Immensity of Our Lives

by Lawrence Rubin
Departing from tradition, our Editor, Lawrence Rubin, turns the microphone on Peabody Award-winning journalist Krista Tippett to explore questions around what it means to be truly human 

Terminally Ill Pediatric Patients and the Grieving Therapist

by Sara Loftin
A pediatric clinician shares the rewards and challenges of working with terminally ill children and their families.

Dr. Shelley F. Diamond: A Psychotherapist Facing Death

by Shelley Diamond
After being diagnosed with aggressive terminal cancer, a psychotherapist shares how she addressed grief, gratitude and loss professionally and personally.

A Small Hope: Co-creating a Narrative of Grief - Part II

by Sasha McAllum Pilkington
Following the loss of her husband, a client finds her way back to living fully for herself and her children through narrative storytelling.

Kenneth Doka on Grief Counseling and Psychotherapy

by Victor Yalom
A leading expert on grief counseling and therapy, discusses how understanding individual grieving styles is essential to grief counselors and all therapists helping clients deal effectively with loss.
Earn 1.5 CE Credits

A Matter of Death and Life

by Irvin D. Yalom, MD & Marilyn Yalom, PhD
In this excerpt from A Matter of Death and Life, Irvin Yalom speaks from the depths of pain over losing his beloved wife and co-author, Marilyn; not only to fellow therapists but to all of us who have lost loved ones. 

Psychotherapy with Older Adults: Unjustified Fears, Unrecognized Rewards

by George Kraus
A geriatric clinical psychologist debunks the stereotypes about working with elderly populations, and shares his discovery of the joy and gratitude that come from intimate contact with wise elders.
Earn 1.0 CE Credits

Motivational Interviewing in End-of-Life Care

by Ellen Young
A social work intern grapples with a situation that would challenge even an experienced clinician: helping a loving wife decide whether to stop feeding her dying husband of 64 years.
Earn 1.0 CE Credits

Encounters with Suicide: A Psychotherapist Remembers Not to Forget

by Catherine Ambrose
A psychotherapist treating a suicidal client struggles with memories--and forgetting--of suicide in her own family.

After the Diagnosis: Helping Patients Cope With their Emotions

by Gary McClain
Psychotherapist Gary McClain discusses the importance of understanding clients' reactions to new diagnoses, the three main responses they have, and advocating for them with healthcare providers.
Earn 1.0 CE Credits

What Remains: The Aftermath of Patient Suicide

by Margaret Clausen
Psychologist Margaret Clausen shares poignantly about the loss of her client to suicide,  the steps she took to heal her grief, and the isolation and shame that many clinicians needlessly suffer in the wake of client suicide.
Earn 1.0 CE Credits

Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death

by Irvin Yalom
In this exclusive excerpt from his latest book, Irvin Yalom delves into the ultimate existential concern, and how therapists can help clients in facing death anxiety. 
Earn 1.0 CE Credits

Reflections of a Psychology Resident in Trauma and Acute Care

by Nina Silander, PsyD
En route to becoming a psychologist, a resident reflects on her clinical trials by fire in a Level-1 trauma center.

How to Help Clients Change the Narrative of Aging

by Bill Randall
By viewing aging as an adventure, gerontologist William Randall offers alternative narratives to counselors and clinicians working with older adults.

My First Private Patient

by Valery Hazanov
As a young therapist, Valery Hazanov reflects on his therapeutic relationship with an elder fellow Russian, and wonders if he made a difference.

Katja-Writing: Being Author and Audience to Fictionalized Stories of Trauma- Part II

by Christoffer Haugaard, Irene and David Epston
Join Christoffer Haugaard and David Epston as they deepen and conclude their powerful work with Irene to build stories through which she heals from brutal childhood trauma.

Introducing Grief: How My Clients and I Have Embraced the Exploration of Loss

by Stephen Grigelevich
Tips for helping your clients embrace grief and get unstuck from loss in their lives.

An Existential-Spiritual Journey During COVID-19

by Robert Gordon
In the shadow of COVID, a therapist and his client address their own uncertainties in order to experience freedom and deeper meaning.

Robert J. Lifton on Political Violence, Activism and Life as a Psycho-Historian

by Deb Kory
Famed psychiatrist, psycho-historian, writer and activist Robert J. Lifton talks about being a witness to an extreme century, combining scholarship with activism, the psychology of violence, and the next great threat to the planet: climate change.
Earn 1.5 CE Credits