Portland Institute for Loss and Transition

At the heart of grief is the attempt to reaffirm or rebuild a world of meaning that has been challenged by loss. Especially when the death is traumatic or premature, or when the relationship with the deceased was complicated or conflicted, the bereaved often need more than simple support and a listening ear. Looking at loss through a wide-angle lens, we also recognize that life confronts us with many unwelcome transitions, whether in the form of lost relationships, careers, health, possibilities, identity, security or even precious possessions. Though these non-death losses are often ambiguous or invisible, they too can shake our taken-for-granted assumptions that life is predictable, the world is just, and people are reliable. Drawing on a large and growing body of contemporary research and clinical scholarship, a Meaning Reconstruction approach to grief therapy gives you the tools to work alongside clients struggling with intense and prolonged grief, as you learn to listen be...