A systematic writing program as a tool in the grief process: part 1

Figures & data

Table 1 Suggested structure of the writing program

Participants	Meetings	Writing situations
6–8 bereaved adultsa in each group	10 meetings over 5 months (in total): every second week for 2.5 hours for 3 months once a month thereafter for 2.5 hours	Writing in a group Supervised dialogue Writing in a diary at home between each meeting Homework

Note:

a Bereaved adults means people who have lost someone close to them as a result of death (loss of a child is an exclusion criterion).

Table 2 Topics for the writing program, including both writing situations: group and diary writing

Meeting	Group writing	Home writing
1	The present life situation	Diary writing
2	A description of the person lost	Diary writing
3	A story about an important occasion spent with the lost person	Diary writing
4	Writing a letter to/obituary for the lost person	Diary writing
5	Defining “despair” and “guilt”	Diary writing
6	Writing a story based on pictures that illustrate different aspects of grief utterance	Writing based on a previous theme Diary writing
7	Defining “loss” and “loneliness”	A good memory Diary writing
8	Previous and present relationship with important persons	Good and bad thoughts and feelings experienced during the last few days Diary writing
9	Experience of grief, longing, hope, and joy	Situations related to a strong feeling of grief/situations related to joy Diary writing
10	What it is important to know: the capacity to adapt to the new life situation, a meaningful life, and future plans

Table 3 Examples of writing forms

Free writing

Write a letter to the person you have lost to death.

or

Write an obituary for the person you have lost to death.

Write about an event or a moment you have experienced that was important in your life with the person who has passed away. Please choose your own title and give the story both an introduction and a conclusion.

Focused writing

Write about despair. What is it like and what are its characteristics?

Write about guilt and feeling guilty. What are they and what are their characteristics?