Bereavement Groups in the Hospice Program

SUMMARY

This article reviews the nature of the therapeutic activity in bereavement groups — the rationale behind offering them in a hospice program for the general public — and then looks specifically at bereavement programs offered at Hospice House in Portland, Oregon. It covers eligibility, attendance, issues, methods used to consolidate the groups, blending of new members, and specifies the types of groups involved. Further, it explores the formation of a city-wide bereavement network, formed to provide mutual support for facilitators and counselors to exchange ideas, shape continuing education, encourage cross-referral and avoid duplication.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joan S. Buell

Joan S. Buell, MA, is Executive Director of the Hospice House in Portland, OR, a freestanding hospice which opened in September, 1987. She has served as a counselor there and was formerly Director of Volunteers for a homecare hospice team. She worked for five months as a volunteer nursing assistant at St. Christopher’s in London and directly observed the bereavement program of Dr. Colin Murray Parkes. She has published in the field of child development and hospice care.

Jeanne Bevis

Jeanne Bevis, MSW, RCSW, is a counselor with the Arigo counseling team at Hospice House. She also works part-time for Kaiser Permanente in the Cancer Counseling Center. Ms. Bevis has a long history of professional experience in the mental health field and maintains a psychotherapeutic private practice, seeing individuals, couples, and families for a variety of mental health needs. Address correspondence to the authors at Hospice House, 6171 SW Capitol Highway, Portland, OR.