Loss is an inevitable part of life, and grief is a natural part of the healing process.
The reasons for grief are many: the loss of a loved one, the loss of health, the end
of a relationship, or the letting go of a long-held dream.
College students can experience many losses, from the death of a loved one to the
loss of a significant relationship. Other losses can occur as students experience
change in both their personal and professional life.
Information on Grief & Loss
Symptoms of Grief & Loss
Denial, shock, numbness
Emotional release, such as crying
Reactive depression which includes loneliness, isolation, feeling hopeless
Panic, feeling overwhelmed, confused and fearful
Remorse and regret
Anger
Physical ailments such as headaches, colds, nausea, and hypertension often increase
Coping With Grief
Each one of us has our own way of coping with painful experiences. The list below
may help you generate ideas about how to manage your feelings of grief.
Talk to family or friends
Seek counseling
Read poetry or books
Engage in social interactions
Exercise
Eat healthy, good foods
Seek spiritual support
Take time to relax
Join a support group
Listen to music
Be patient with yourself
Give yourself permission to feel grief
Helping Others With Grief & Loss
Take some kind of action - a phone call, a card, a hug, attend the funeral - offer
specific help
Be available - allow them to talk without being judgmental
Listen well - avoid telling them what to do or feel or using clichés such as "You
have to move on,"or "it's really the best thing"
Be patient - grievers have to talk to heal and many times, it is easy to be impatient
Encourage self -care
Accept your own limitations – link people to professional assistance if needed
Resources
On-Campus Services
Counseling Center (410) 704-2512 There are many treatment options available on and off campus. An intake evaluation
at the Counseling Center can help determine what type of services will best help you.
Counseling for grief & loss can help by:
Assisting you in understanding and working through your reactions to your loss.
Enhancing your ability to cope with having lost someone significant in your life.
Maximizing your resilience in the face of longer-term or complicated grief.
The Loyola Clinical Centers: Individual counseling; bereavement support groups—low fee, sliding scale available)
~ Baltimore, MD (410) 617-1200 (Bereavement Support Groups)
Wendt Center For Loss and Healing: Individual, family counseling; support groups; free weekend camp for grieving children;
HOPES Program for individuals, families, and communities coping with homicide-related
deaths) ~ Washington, DC (202) 624-0010
Web Resources
www.centerforloss.com: The site features a thorough collection of articles and book excerpts focused on
grief.
www.goodgriefcenter.com: This is a comprehensive bereavement resource that promotes grief education, awareness.
Referrals to support groups are also provided.
www.grief.net: The site of the Grief Recovery Institute, the action program for moving beyond loss.
This site is especially helpful for assisting others who are coping with loss.
www.griefnet.org: An Internet community comprised of people coping with grief, death, and major loss.
It offers on-line support groups.
www.griefshare.org: A site that helps you to find local support groups and provides some online support
in the form of videos.
www.healingthespirit.org: A site that centers on families of organ and tissue donors, but that also is a general
grief and loss resource.
www.holdthedoor.com: A site originated by individuals who lost family members suddenly, it provides a
comprehensive workbook on living with and growing from experiences of loss and adversity.
www.studentsofamf.org: The Students of Ailing Mothers and Fathers is an organization dedicated to supporting
college students dealing with illness and death.
Reading List
Caplan, S. and Lang, G. (1995). Grief's courageous journey: A workbook.
Churn, A. (2003). The end is just the beginning: Lessons in grieving for African Americans.
Didion, J. (2005). The year of magical thinking.
Edelman, H. (1995). Motherless daughters: The legacy of loss.
Fine, C. (1999). No time to say goodbye: Surviving the suicide of a loved one.
Gilbert, A. & Baker, C.K. (2006). Always too soon: Voices of support for those who have lost both parents.
Golden, T. (2000). Swallowed by a snake: The gift of the masculine side of healing.
Greene, P. (2003). It must have been moonglow: Reflections on the first years of widowhood.
Hambrook, D. & Eisenberg, E. (1997). A mother loss workbook: Healing exercises for daughters.
Harris, M. (1995). The loss that is forever: The lifelong impact of the early death of a mother or father.
Hooks, B. (1993). Sisters of the yam: Black women and self-recovery.
James, J., & Cherry, F. (1998). The grief recovery handbook: The action program for moving beyond death, divorce,
and other losses.
Johnson, C. J., & McGee, M. G. (Eds.). (1991). How different religions view death and afterlife.
Kubler-Ross, E. & Kessler, D. (2007). On grief and grieving: finding the meaning of grief through the five stages of loss.
Kushner, H.S. (1981). When bad things happen to good people.
Lewis, C. S. (2001). A grief observed. (memoir)
Oates, J.C. (2011). A widow's story: A memoir.
Rupp, J. (1988). Praying our goodbyes: Understanding the spirituality of change in our lives.
Smolin, A. & J. Guinan (1993). Healing after the suicide of a loved one.
Staudacher, C. (1992). Men & grief.
Stepanchuk, C., & Wong, C. (1991). Mooncakes and hungry ghosts: Festivals of China.
Viorst, J. (1986). Necessary losses: The loves, illusions, dependencies, and impossible expectations
that all of us have to give up in order to grow.
Films
Dearly Loved: Dealing with the Death of a Parent (13 minutes): In this documentary, three young adults of different cultural discuss
the death of a parent. Each person is at a different part of the grieving process.
A Family Disrupted: Dealing with the Death of a Sibling (22 minutes): Three individuals share their experiences of how they and their loved
ones have grieved and mourned. They particularly emphasize dealing with friends and
family members whose grieving and mourning differ from their own.
Grief in America (57 minutes): Seven people from diverse cultural backgrounds discuss their grief
and mourning process, integrating ethnic customs for coping with their losses. As
well, experts on grieving and mourning discuss coping strategies.
Phantom Limb (28 minutes): Concerns the death of the filmmaker's seven-year-old brother decades
ago. The film is loosely structured according to stages of grief and emphasizes a
philosophical view of death.
Uncoupled: Dealing with the Death of a Spouse (24 minutes) Four grieving spouses explore helpful and unhelpful coping mechanisms
following their loss.