This collection of previously unpublished essays addresses a wide range of topics relevant to the on-going debates regarding dying and death and the subtleties, nuances, and complexities accompanying these phenomena. The authors have attempted to contribute their experiences, insights, and research results to clarify rather than obfuscate. Topic coverage is broad; however, content depth is not sacrificed. The diversity of authors' backgrounds, both geographical and disciplinary, also serves to make this volume unique. The chapters in this volume offer a substantial contribution in assisting care-givers in arriving at acceptable ethical positions in their pastoral, counseling, medical, and mortician roles.

This final volume of ""Death and Bereavement Around the World"" reflects on some major themes: death and after-life, religion and spirituality, rites and rituals, secularist approaches, cultural variations, suicide, and other issues. The first few chapters describe progress in end-of-life care, including some new tools to evaluate hospice care (chapter 1); what children know, when they know it, and how parents can respond to questions, with some guidelines for support by schools (chapter 2); the importance of ritual (chapter 3); and, gender differences in death customs around the world (chapter 4).The transcript of a 1997 interview of John (Jack) Morgan by Pittu Laungani is presented as chapter 5. The following chapters discuss death systems and suicide (chapter 6); HIV/AIDS, including the role of cultural and economic factors in the spread of the disease (chapter 7); and grief and bereavement in the developing world, taking the AIDS pandemic as a specific challenge (chapter 8). Chapter 9 covers issues related to dying and death in Romania. In chapter 10 the focus is on the various functions and uses of names in a cross-cultural context. Roadside memorials as a pivotal healing strategy are the topic of chapter 11. Chapters 12 and 13 focus on spiritual experience with loss.The final chapter presents some conclusions, and in the Epilogue, Mary Ann Morgan honors the life, career, dying, death, and achievements of John (Jack) Morgan. The 'Final Word' includes the words of Pittu Laungani, from a book published just weeks before his death in February 2007.This work is for anyone interested in or working in death and bereavement issues, particularly academics, educators, librarians, chaplains, clergy, funeral service directors, hospice care providers and volunteers, palliative care providers, nurses, immigration officers, psychologists, social workers, psychotherapists, and counselors, especially bereavement counselors.

This text brings together spokespersons from several different disciplines who can present their arguments for or against rational suicide as a viable concept and, consequently, a realistic option. The pros and cons of the discussion format bring the readers to search for their beliefs, and the final decision of acceptance or rejection of the concept is left to each individual reader.

This book brings together seminal articles concerned with the empirical and psychological study of prayer. Topics discussed include the relationship between prayer and psychological development, the place of prayer in the work of doctors, caregivers, and clergy, and the effects of intercessory prayer.

"Gamino and Ritter do an excellent job of providing cogent advice and helpful suggestions for how professionals can manage ethical dilemmas that arise from the practice of grief counseling." -J. William Worden, PhD, ABPP Clinical Psychologist Laguna Niguel, California Author, Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy, 4th Edition (From the Foreword) Essential reading for grief counselors, mental health clinicians, death educators, hospice workers, clergy, funeral directors, and social workers. Grief counselors are confronted daily with a host of serious ethical dilemmas, some so critical that they can drastically change the course of a counselor's practice and career. This practical and authoritative guide serves as a comprehensive handbook for navigating the difficult ethical issues grief counselors confront daily with clients. These include confidentiality, end-of-life issues, intimacies with clients, challenges posed by unnatural deaths, spiritual and cultural considerations, and many more. To tackle these issues head on, Gamino and Ritter present the Five P Model, a customized process for ethical decision-making that will help counselors outline a specific, step-by-step course of action to respond to the ethical dilemma at hand. The book is also rich with case examples, both hypothetical and real-life, to demonstrate how to implement the Five P Model in practice, and apply it to various ethical dilemmas. Among the key topics discussed: How to address ethical problems posed by Internet counseling, such as authenticating identity, securing confidentiality, and intervening in a crisis Death competence on the part of the counselor and how the counselor's own experience of grieving can inform counseling practice Guidance on how to report a colleague or face a complaint How to meet ethical obligations towards clients when moving or closing a practice

An elderly Chinese immigrant, hospitalized with terminal disease, requests to burn incense. A 30-year-old Roman Catholic gay male, dying of AIDS, is consumed by deepening moral guilt, troubled by beliefs he thought he abandoned years ago. A mother whose teenage son died of an aneurism is angry at God over his death yet fearful of expressing that anger lest He 'punish her again.' A young widower seemingly has difficulty expressing grief believing it to be a sign of weak faith. All of these examples illustrate the kinds of issues that clinicians and counselors constantly encounter. For although North American society has long been characterized as secular, this does not deny the potency of spiritual concerns and religious values on the individual level. Polls affirm that vast majorities of North Americans both believe in God and consider religion important in their lives. This is clearly evident when one faces the crisis of dying or bereavement. For, one of the strengths of belief is that it provides support and succor at a time when secular explanations are largely silent. For these reasons, educators and clinicians have long recognized the significance that religious and spiritual themes have in counseling with the dying and bereaved. Yet, in cultures as religiously diverse as the U.S. and Canada, caregivers and educators may feel inadequate to the task. Death and Spirituality addresses this need. Specifically it seeks to reach two, perhaps overlapping, audiences. First, it considers the needs death-related counselors and educators, seeking to provide them with both a sense of the norm of religious tradition and the religious and spiritual issues that might arise in illness and bereavement, as well as suitable interventions, approaches, and resources that might be useful in assisting clients in examining and resolving such issues. The book also speaks to the complementary needs of clergy who also may wish to assist parishioners and others as they face the spiritual and psychological crisis of dying and grief.

Intuitive Imagery puts the discoveries of modern science to work through a simple, proven technology to meet the challenges of our fast-paced changing world. This book shows you how to harness the wisdom of your inner images to achieve peak performance in both business and personal life. Results include greater creativity, better decision making, enhanced productivity, the unlocking of blocked potential, accelerated learning, increased success, and a sense of greater well-being. Learning to use intuitive imaging is like finding a new set of lenses through which to view the world. It helps us change our beliefs about how we know what we know so we can begin to restructure how we do what we do. John B. Pehrson is president of Creative Change Technologies, a training and consulting firm to individuals and organizations focusing in the areas of creativity, deep team building, and executive coaching. John is a former executive with DuPont and has over 20 years of broad international business experience that includes business and technology management, strategic planning, product development, manufacturing, sales and marketing. He lives in Signal Mountain, TN. Susan E. Mehrtons is president of The Potlatch Group, a research organization specializing in analysis of business trends related to global evolution and social change. Her clients range from Fortune 500 companies like AT&T, DuPont, General Motors, and Sears to smaller businesses, schools, and private foundations such as The Institute of Noetic Sciences and the World Business Academy. Sue is the co-author of Earthkeeping, an ecology text, and The Fourth Wave, a vision of business in the 21st century. She lives in Mineola, NY.

Reflects on some major themes - death and after-life, religion and spirituality, rites and rituals, secularist approaches, cultural variations, suicide, and other issues. This book includes which chapters describe progress in end-of-life care, including some tools to evaluate hospice care.