When losses occur, words are sought…sometimes found…sometimes offered. Drawing on bibliotherapeutic and narrative therapy principles, perspectives and tools for gathering words for losses will be presented, demonstrated and discussed. Narrative is not about having people tell their stories. Narrative is interested in power – who has the power to speak stories into existence -and THAT voices of losses and bereavement are heard and validated. Using metaphor and related prompts, participants will be invited to consider using stories as prompts for words that foster grieving and healing.

Learning Objectives:

• Define and describe multiple ways to gather words for their practices.
• Describe the importance of metaphors in grief and bereavement care AND how metaphors will be addressed in future work.
• Create a plan for use of the session content.