Being There for Someone in Grief - Essential Lessons for Supporting Someone Grieving from Death, Loss and Trauma

Do you have a friend who is in the depths of grief from a loss of someone they love? Do you sometimes find yourself at a loss--wondering how to be there for her or him in a meaningful way? Or perhaps you are coping with sorrow and grief and would like those you love to be there for you in a way that is not intrusive or evasive, but healing. 

Being There For Someone in Grief is a book filled with stories--stories that teach a few basic skills used in grief counseling yet can be safely practiced by ordinary people. Common-sense things like listening and seeing someone just as they are. Allowing their unique way of grieving to be just as it is without an overlay of fear, pity or judgment. Bereavement is a challenging time, and therapists are extremely helpful, but we also need our friends and family to be there for us through the stages of grief and healing. 


Being There For Someone in Grief reveals the authors own insights as a childhood survivor of trauma as a result of a violent crime.  She knows the value of a true friend, a trauma therapist or counselor and victim advocates, all playing a role in healing grief. Being There for Someone in Grief offers essential lessons for supporting someone grieving from death, loss and trauma in a way that can be appreciated by lay people; respected by grief counselors and others in the healing arts; and treasured by those living with grief. 


In the pages of this book, you will learn how to be present for another in the unpredictability that death brings. Through storytelling, it offers a general map of the landscape you will journey as you learn to gaze into the face of suffering without running away. You will become skilled at being present for yourself, noticing your own fears and losses while being available to another. The stories and insights offered in this book will assure you that we are all on a journey from birth to death and that the person you love who is grieving will return from their dark night, although both of you may be changed. This book will help you learn to stay, even when it's hard. And if you should decide to be there authentically and intimately for someone who's grieving, a remarkable thing can happen - love can heal grief's wound. 

Marianna Cacciatore is an author and grief support consultant living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She works privately--by phone and in person--to support people in grief, and those who want to be there for them. She speaks to audiences worldwide, and consults with organizations regarding grief support program.

She serves as a Lifetime Emeritus Board Member of Tu Nidito "Your Little Nest," the parent agency for Children to Children.