Loss

My training is from the Drama Therapy Program of New York University. In 1992 I entered a program of five years academic and field training under clinical supervision. It was in the early part of this training in a hospice setting that I experienced a profound expression of loss. This experience would shape the direction I chose as a therapist.

The bereaved were six year old children. They were each working on a picture to share with the group. One girl simply drew a straight line across her page with a few bumps on the top. Other children were quite elaborate with their drawings. It seemed to me she was not interested in the exercise. When the time came to talk about her drawing she held up her picture and said: These are my brother’s fingers on the edge of the pool. We knew her brother had drowned but we did not know she was the one to discover him.

In that moment I realized the need for this work. When we feel hopeless and overwhelmed we can be comforted and moved gently toward a process of healing. This was 1991. Since then my work has been with dying people and their families.

Some Recent Thoughts