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TWU Professor
Offers Seminar On Grief And The Holidays
11/19/04
DENTON —
The holidays can be tough on those who have lost a loved one.
A traditional time of celebration may become a time to “get
through” or avoid altogether.
Dr. Susan Adams,
an assistant professor of counseling and development at Texas
Woman’s University, will present a seminar on dealing
with grief during the holidays Monday, Dec. 6 in the Multipurpose
Classroom and Laboratory (MCL) Building auditorium, located
on Bell Avenue on TWU’s Denton campus. The presentation
will be from 7 to 9 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
For more information, call (940) 898-2685.
Adams said that
while the seminar is offered during the Christmas season,
any holiday can be difficult for those who have suffered a
loss. The purpose of the seminar is to give survivors the
tools to cope with the loss, she said.
The seminar will
include activities that invite audience members to remember
loved ones who have died. Those attending may place their
loved one’s name on a tapestry, place an ornament on
a tree or simply choose to reflect during a special part of
the presentation. Participation is voluntary.
Adams said she
will present ways in which people can remember their loved
ones in their family celebrations.
“I find in
working with people who are grieving that they have a tendency
to want to keep things the way they were. In doing that, they
end up corrupting the memory,” she said. For example,
if Grandpa always read the Christmas story, other family members
may resent the person chosen to take on that role after Grandpa
is gone.
“Many times,
people feel that if they let go of their sadness, they will
lose the memory,” Adams said. “They often get
stuck in their grief.”
Others, however,
may try to avoid the holidays altogether. Adams cautions against
trying to run from the pain, saying one of her goals in this
seminar is to “help people understand that we have to
deal with our pain. The further away we try to push it, the
more it may become our focal point.
“I want to
help people find appropriate ways to remember their loved
ones and appropriate ways to continue living without becoming
stuck in their grief.”
Adams and students
from counseling and development will be available after the
seminar for those who want to talk.
###
For Further
Information Contact:
Karen Treat
Senior Copywriter
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: ktreat@twu.edu
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