We Regret to Inform You: A Survival Guide for Gold Star Parents and Those Who Support Them

A compassionate guide to help Gold Star parents cope with the grief and loss of their military son or daughter.

Author Joanne Steen tackles the subject that terrifies parents of military personnel―the death of their son or daughter on active duty. In short, easy-to-read chapters Gold Star parents find thoughtful explanations and trustworthy advice for coping with military grief. Steen weaves together realistic examples with voices of other Gold Star parents, connecting the readers to the wisdom of those parents who have walked in their shoes.

Chapters for relatives, friends, and professional service providers of Gold Star parents are also included, supplying them with what they need to know about military loss; what to expect in the parents; and best practices on what to say and ways to help support them. Gold Star parents will find a path to survive their life-changing loss and develop the resilience to move forward.

Joanne Steen has more than twenty years’ experience in the grief and loss field, with a specialty in military loss. She is a board-certified counselor, instructor, Gold Star widow, and the founder of Grief Solutions, a training company on grief, loss and resilience. Steen is also the coauthor of Military Widow: A Survival Guide (Naval Institute Press, 2006)

Joanne Steen is a behavioral health counselor, consultant, public speaker, and instructor on military loss, as well as a Gold Star widow. She received an MSEd in counseling from Old Dominion University and is a National Certified Counselor (NCC). Steen is the founder and principal of Grief Solutions, a training company that provides training for organizations related to grief in the workplace.