Crisis Support

Not infrequently, death occurs and surviving family members and friends do not have the opportunity to say goodbye to the loved one who died. Fatal automobile accidents and heart attacks, hurricanes, murders, and many other unexpected events are the catalysts…
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My husband and I have discussed this topic many times. We joke about it sometimes, like who is going to die first and the other will do what they want as far as these final decisions go. But that same…
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The funeral or graveside service is over and someone you work with is back on the job. Is there anything you can you do to help the person in the transition he or she is facing? Plenty. Remember, your willingness…
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Anyone who has ever lost a loved one knows that going through the various stages of grief is very difficult, as well as exhausting. It can take some time before you really get back to feeling like your normal self….
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With the increase in violence and the many tragic losses that occur nationally, there is an increased need to consider how to deal with the anniversaries of these events. This is especially true if you have had a loved one…
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Is suicide for cowards? Is it just “the cowardly way out”? That we as a society could have reached such a point of indifference and cruelty so as to render a question like this even remotely plausible makes me tremble….
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Most of us will agree that the best way to die is swiftly without suffering. Certainly, we would like to live long as possible but what if we can’t enjoy a quality life.Isn’t it easier to let go when we…
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I’ve lost a few people in my life that have been close to me. I lost my mother to cancer of the lungs and I lost one of my best friends to cancer of the brain stem. I miss them…
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Grief and loss,are two of the most powerful and negative emotions. Helping a person cope with these feelings, will give them the time they need to begin the healing process. Make sure the grieving friend knows that you are there…
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While it can be easy to talk about grief and loss in purely theoretical terms, it is quite another thing to experience and have to deal with grief and loss in one’s own life. Grieving multiple losses adds another whole…
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Sending sympathy cards may seem like a trivial thing to do when someone has lost a friend or a loved one. Many times sending a card may seem a bit impersonal or people may think such a small thing does…
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When you write a sympathy note don’t just sign your name and let the words of the card (often quite impersonal and Hallmark-y) speak for you. if you have memories of the person who died, even if it is that…
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When I noticed this title, I was immediately reminded of my teenage son who used to say, “Cry me a river, build me a bridge, then get over it.” I am sure this not an original saying, but its message…
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Let’s start off by understanding that therapy is not a bad thing. It can be very helpful to someone that needs this kind of help when dealing with situations that are difficult. But understand also that grief counseling is not…
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“If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.” “I’m so sorry for your loss.” “Please accept my deepest condolences.” No matter how genuine our feelings are concerning our fellow-mans grief, more often than not, we wish our condolences…
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“Mom, are we in a parade?” This was one of the multitudes of questions my children asked the day of my father’s funeral. There were many flags and soldiers present as we drove into the cemetery, which added confusion to…
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All of us experience loss, a thing or a person. Death is the gravest of all. No one knows when a departed loved one will ever come back to life. It is a naturally occurring phenomenon that most people learn…
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Every day there are at least 100 victims of violent crimes throughout the U.S. Each year there are over 1,000 violent crimes committed in each region of the United States of America.These crimes range from armed robbery, aggravated assault, murder…
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Is it easier to walk away from a partner who is violent than it is to stay with him or her? I say that it is easier to walk away, knowing the deeper truth – neither solution is easy. Walking…
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Maybe in the short term, it’s harder to walk away, but certainly not in the long term. There is a time and place when a person has to make a hard decision, cut their losses and walk away. Unfortunately the…
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I grew up in an alcoholic home, so my brother and I were with babysitters a lot in the evenings. Most of the time we enjoyed ourselves with these women. Then for some reason our usual babysitter could not watch…
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I grew up in a dysfunctional family as many of us do. Both of my parents were alcoholics. Physical and emotional abuse was a common occurrence in my household. Though I myself never experienced the wrath of my father’s anger,…
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While walking away may seem the obvious answer when someone is being physically abused, often it is not that easy. Looking from the outside in, you might say that if it was you, you’d be out of there, but things…
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I believe that in the mind of the person being abused that it is just easier to stay, because is it not the case that so often they remain with their violent partner far longer than they should? Sad, but…
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I don’t know anybody who has fallen in love and married with the intent of being beaten by their spouse, but I do know several people that have encountered this very thing after the nuptials are over. This being the…
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Child abuse, dis-functional families are things that every human spirit can speak to. For me, my experience of this has been fraught by personal discontent and anguish. There’s so many forms of abuse perpetrated where all forms of it does…
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One of the biggest problems in the United States right now that needs to be focused on more is protecting children, women and sometimes boys and men from becoming victims of sexual abuse. I believe that the police and the…
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Domestic abuse in this country continues to rise in the number of victims. Drug abuse, alcoholism and other social problems contribute to the cycle of abuse and allow it to not only continue, but to broaden its reach with each…
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All over the world, families deal with domestic violence every day. A lot of people don’t even report it, and just try to live with it, hoping it will get better. I know first hand that it does only get…
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The effects on children of domestic violence are many and all negative. Children growing up in a household where violence is a frequent activity are inevitably, and often irreparably, damaged. There exists a tension within such a family that can…
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