Alan D Wolfelt

Designed to complement the clergy and funeral director's role in the funeral planning process, this book walks families through the many decisions they will make at the time of a death and helps them create a ceremony that will be both healing and meaningful. Options are clearly explained and alternatives are also given, and charts and tables are included to help families assess cost options.

For most of us, life is way too hectic. We feel scattered and distracted. We're busy rushing from one required activity to the next, and when we have a few moments of downtime, we're often glued to our electronics. Is this what life is really all about? Learn to slow down and live more mindfully with this daily companion. In one brief entry for each day of the calendar year, counselor Dr. Alan Wolfelt offers small, day-at-a-time doses of wisdom and...

After a significant loss, grief is normal and necessary. But sometimes a mourner's grief becomes naturally heightened, stuck, or made more complex by especially difficult circumstances, such as suicide, homicide, or multiple losses within a short time period. This is called complicated grief. In this primer by one of the world's most respected grief educators, Dr. Wolfelt helps caregivers understand the various factors that often contribute to complicated...

Practical methods for healing after the loss of a member of the military When a loved one is killed in the line of duty, this book affirms that survivors' grief is shaped by the unique circumstances of the death. Because military deaths are almost always sudden and violent, the traumatic nature of the loss creates a two-part grief-one focused on the manner in which the person died, the other focused on the long-term repercussions of life without this...

Beloved grief educator Dr. Alan Wolfelt compassionately explores the common feelings of shock, anger, guilt, and sadness that accompany a stillborn child, offering suggestions for expressing feelings, remembering the child, and healing as a family. Ideas to help each unique person-mother, father, grandparent, sibling, friend-are included, as are thoughts from families who experienced a stillbirth. This new addition to Dr. Wolfelt's popular series...

With sensitivity and insight, this series offers suggestions for healing activities that can help survivors learn to express their grief and mourn naturally. Acknowledging that death is a painful, ongoing part of life, they explain how people need to slow down, turn inward, embrace their feelings of loss, and seek and accept support when a loved one dies. Each book, geared for mourning adults, teens, or children, provides ideas and action-oriented...

Renowned author and educator Alan Wolfelt redefines the role of the grief counselor in this guide for caregivers. His new model for "companioning" the bereaved gives a viable alternative to the limitations of the medical establishment, encouraging counselors and other caregivers to aspire to a more compassionate philosophy. This approach argues that grief need no longer be defined, diagnosed, and treated as an illness but rather should be an acknowledgement...

An aide for the challenging emotional process that follows a divorce, this companion journal to Transcending Divorce explores the 10 crucial touchstones for finding hope and healing the mourning heart, including dispelling misconceptions about divorce, seeking reconciliation, and appreciating the transformation. Highlights from the companion book are provided throughout as well as corresponding questions regarding the grief journey. Private and independent,...

Explaining how multitudes of North Americans are carrying the pain of all types of loss-not just the deaths of loved ones but also the loss of a spouse through divorce, children who leave home, and the decline of health as they age or get sick-this balanced resource empowers mourners and grief counselors to turn grief into an experience to be learned from. Defining the varieties of heartache and its consequences, this effective guide explores how...

Navigating the challenging journey that families and friends of Alzheimer's patients must endure, this heartfelt guide reveals how their struggle is as complex and drawn out as the illness itself. Confronting their natural but difficult process of grieving and mourning, the study covers the inevitable feelings of shock, sadness, anger, guilt, and relief, illustrating the initial reactions people commonly feel from the moment of the dementia's onset....