Grief literacy: Why it matters in improving grief and bereavement care

Grief literacy is necessary due to the successes - and failures - of support in the wake of loss. Grieving persons report family members, friends, work colleagues, and health and social care professionals people literally running away from them, “disappearing” from their lives, making hurtful comments, asking harmful questions, joking about the loss, offering platitudes, and generally lacking compassion. Bereaved people much more commonly seek support from family and friends than from professionals, yet a considerable minority of grievers - about one-third - report not receiving the support they would have liked. Potential supporters struggle to manage their own feelings, do not know how to broach the topic, are limited in the “language” of grief, and their actions focus on comforting themselves rather than on supporting the grieving person. The grief literacy movement aims to benefit all people experiencing all kinds of loss. In this webinar, the concept of grief literacy will be introduced and illustrated through a series of short vignettes and applications.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• understanding the concept of grief literacy and its relevance to grief and bereavement care.
• comprehending the successes and failures of social support in the wake of loss.
• applying the concept of grief literacy to various contexts.