ABSTRACT
This article chronicles the process of reducing the 10 week restorative retelling (RR) group model (Rynearson & Correa, Accommodation to violent dying: A guide to restorative retelling and support, Violent Death Bereavement Society, 2006) into a 3 day retreat for families of homicide loss. Strategies used to address the intensity of the condensed version of the treatment model are described for both the participants and treatment team. The twists and turns of how the therapeutic retreat unfolded are presented through case examples. The authors explicate the risks and rewards of conducting the RR model at speed, identify the challenges they faced, and give impressions for overall treatment efficacy.
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Psychological , Bereavement , Death , Homicide/psychology , Psychotherapy, Group/methods , Social Support , Survivors/psychology , Violence/psychology , Grief , Humans , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Pastoral response to death in the family of a congregate is familiar terrain for most ministers. Pastors are often called upon to pray for the sick, comfort the bereaved, and preside at memorial services and graveside gatherings. While most get some orientation in the work of death and dying in seminary, few are prepared to minister effectively to church members who suffer traumatic bereavement caused by human-perpetrated violence. This paper describes the power of facilitated cathartic narrative, bearing witness, and reflective meaning-making in a case study involving a pastor, his wife, and the grief-stricken widow of a murdered comrade in ministry.
Subject(s)
Grief , Homicide , Pastoral Care , Wounds and Injuries/psychology , Anecdotes as Topic , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
The high rate of mental health problems in HIV-infected women jeopardizes the health of this vulnerable population, and constitutes a mandate for integrating mental health services into HIV primary care. The Whole Life project-a collaboration of the departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics/Gynecology at the University of Miami School of Medicine-successfully integrated mental health services into primary HIV care for women. This article describes the conceptual framework of the integration, implementation strategies, effects of the service integration, and lessons learned. Funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a Special Program of National Significance (SPNS), Whole Life efforts have been sustained beyond the demonstration funding period as a result of the changes brought about in organizational structures, service delivery, and the providers' conceptualization of health for HIV-infected women.
