My Module 5 Reflection - The Therapeutic Response on Death, Dying, and Grief

                                                                Seasons of Grief

Shall I wither and fall like an autumn leaf,

From this deep sorrow - from this painful grief?

How can I go on or find a way to be strong?

Will I ever again enjoy life's sweet song?

Sometimes a warm memory sheds light in the dark

And eases the pain like the song of a Meadow Lark.

Then it flits away on silent wings and I'm alone;

Hungering for more of the light it had shone.

Shall grief's bitter cold sadness consume me,

Like a winter storm on the vast angry sea?

How can I fill the void and deep desperate need

To replant my heart with hope's lovely seed?

Then I look at a photo of your playful smiling face

And for a moment I escape to a serene happy place;

Remembering the laughter and all you would do,

Cherishing the honest, caring, loving spirit of you.

Shall spring's cheerful flowers bring life anew

And allow me to forget the agony of missing you?

Will spring's burst of new life bring fresh hope

And teach my grieving soul how to cope?

Sometimes I'll read a treasured card you had given me

And each word's special meaning makes me see,

The precious gift of love I was fortunate to receive,

And I realize you'd never want to see me grieve.

Shall summer's warm brilliant sun bring new light,

And free my anguished mind of its terrible plight?

Will its gentle breezes chase grief's dark clouds away,

And show me a clear path towards a better day?

When I visit the grave where you lie in eternal peace,

I know that death and heaven brought you release;

I try to envision your joy on that shore across the sea,

And, until I join you, that'll have to be enough for me.

For all the remaining seasons of my life on earth,

There'll be days I'll miss your merriment and mirth,

And sometimes I'll sadly long for all the yesterdays;

Missing our chats and your gentle understanding ways.

Yet, the lessons of kindness and love you taught me,

And the good things in life you've helped me to see;

Linger as lasting gifts that comfort and will sustain,

Until I journey to that peaceful shore and see you again

-Belinda Stotler (2012)

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/seasons-of-grief

Back in my Philosophy 101 class, it will seem illogical when you define a term by its opposite. For instance, you cannot define darkness as the opposite of light or vice versa. In the same manner, we cannot define death as the opposite of life. An incident in the Bible reminds me of when Jesus said to his disciples, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”. (John 15:13) But what is death or loss and how does a future HOA therapeutically express in their communication when dealing with clients in their respective workplaces?  Death will be described, as well as the aspects that it entails, and how HOAs will apply the points of learning from this subject.

Parting is such a Sweet Sorrow

 “Parting is such a sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be ‘morrow”.

(Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet Act II Scene II). This quote describes a parting or a sense of detachment. The figure below will describe what this quote illustrates.

                                        Figure 1 

           Figure 1 illustrates that dying, death, and grief relate to each other. There is a process (dying), event (death), and response (grief). (Tamparo & Lindh, 2019, p. 249) Among the three, the response is the most obvious, and the degree varies significantly to every individual. The future HOAs will be facing clients who may be grieving due to loss: they may be caused by loss of personal possessions having sentimental value due to catastrophes or disasters, loss of familiar environment, loss of significant other (person or pet), and loss of some part of the self. (Tamparo & Lindh, 2019, p. 249-250). Death, therefore, is an event that causes those who directly or indirectly experience it to feel grief as a result of a sense of loss. Age and the stage of development of an individual can be factors that influence grief. My son who is 5 years old thinks that if I grow old, old, old, then I would be dead. He cries of the thought that I might one day die. Men and women express their grief differently, too. Thus, grieving is not the same for everyone in terms of rate and differences in stages. (Tamparo & Lindh, 2019, p. 254)

Silver Linings

          There are no perfect words to say to someone who experiences death or loss. There are, however, concrete therapeutic expressions that HOAs could benefit from once an opportunity presents itself in the future. For instance, it is important to acknowledge the cultural beliefs and values of the client though they may differ from the HOAs’, listen to what is being said and avoid taking things personally, recognize the stage of stress that the client is in to respond appropriately, maintain a sense of controlled emotional involvement, avoid giving false assurances or discussing problems that warrant uncomfortable responses, recognize communication roadblocks and overcome them, refer appropriately the clients to the right person, and lastly honoring and respecting the client’s wishes. (Tamparo & Lindh, 2019, p.261) HOAs may not be able to wave a magic wand and make the feelings of the clients disappear but at least knowing how to make them feel that they are cared for and someone who understands them would make a difference.

Module 5 Link

https://happilyblessedtobestressed.blogspot.com/2021/04/my-module-5-reflection-therapeutic.html  

References

Stotler, B. (2012) Seasons of Grief. Family Friends Poems. https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/seasons-of-grief

Tamparo, C. & Lindh, W. (2019) Therapeutic Communication for Health Care Professionals (4th Edition) [2.5.8484.0] Retrieved from http://texidium.com

 

My Over-all Course Reflection

          Having Communication in Health Care, specifically Therapeutic Communication is very important for us future HOAs because it is the arrow that we shoot in our day-to-day encounters with clients.  We have covered and reflected on varied topics, and each has its illustrations, discussions, and take-aways. However, I would like to highlight two of these.

          First is on multicultural therapeutic response to clients. I wanted to elaborate on the concrete ways in which future HOAs can apply. For example, when interacting with clients of diverse cultural backgrounds, it is important to develop and acquire knowledge of the culture of the clients and try to assess their values, health practices, and expectations. This will be a springboard in dealing with the clients because knowing their cultural background in these aspects, the HOA will have insights on how to interact and communicate with them with understanding and respect.

          The second is on therapeutic response to clients experiencing stress, anxiety, and fear. The understanding, knowledge, and application of this lesson will be beneficial because as a future HOA, I will be facing various clients experiencing different stages of stress. Thereby armed with this knowledge, I would be able to develop the skill in communicating and understanding clients in the stage of stress that they are in.

           I am just grateful for the dynamic and interesting facilitation of our instructor on this course and enriching interaction with my classmates. This course has allowed me to express myself in my thoughts and reflections and related them to the learnings gained from this subject matter. 

My Module 4 Reflection - The Therapeutic Response to Clients with Depression

 

This video is from Ted-Ed Talk on What is depression by Helen M. Farrell (2015)

 There was a song by The Cranberries entitled Wake up and Smell the Coffee. One of the lines says, “I was twenty-four, was insecure, do whatever it takes” incidentally reflected my so-called quarter-life crisis 20 years ago. I did not want to go out of the house and was only interested in doing household chores and play Diablo III until dawn to fall asleep. I was part of the age bracket that had had to deal with life’s many challenges before the prefrontal cortex is fully developed at the age of 25. (Nierenberg, 2016, para. 6)

Understanding what depression is, its implication and importance to increased knowledge on this topic, as well as how future HOAs can therapeutically communicate with clients who are in this situation shall be described and discussed in this paper.

Down and Under

Psychiatrists in the past diagnosed depression using different criteria. However, they used a more comprehensive definition and set of diagnostic criteria from the DSM-5 and ICD-10-CM to reconcile somehow the confusion. Depression, therefore, is described when there is a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It is considered a mood disorder. (Tamparo & Lindh, 2019, p.192) It can be minor depression that lasts for at least 2 weeks having two symptoms showing or major (clinical) depression which a person could report showing five or more symptoms for the past 2 weeks. There is a full range of signs and symptoms that are also associated with depression specifiers. For instance, a person with a psychotic specifier would show signs and symptoms of depression that are coupled with delusions and hallucinations. (Tamparo & Lindh, 2019, p.193)

 Wake up and Smell the Coffee

Therefore, the implication in the increased knowledge of defining depression would allow future HOAs a more adept therapeutic communication response to clients who are experiencing episodes of this mood disorder. In addition, future HOAs would also have the awareness of their own mood which could be positive or negative when dealing with them. There is, however, a thin line in being involved emotionally or there is a possibility that transference will occur. Communicating therapeutically with clients who have depression would mean understanding the disorder, listening to the clients attentively, encouraging the client to get professional help, and lastly providing community resources. (Tamparo & Lindh, 2019, p.199) The role of the HOA is very vital once the client with depression comes to the premises because their interaction will set the atmosphere of safety, comfort, and mitigate the feeling of being judged. It is important to note that HOAs may not even always have a great day, thus, it is crucial to recognize one’s mental state.  My personal experience of having had experienced depression would allow me to talk with the clients in a more emphatic and professional manner. Wake up and smell the coffee, as The Cranberries would reiterate, could also provide an impetus for future HOAs that nothing is always constant even momentary feelings of sadness and lack of interest in things. We just have to wake up, shut up, and smell the coffee. It may seem like they are very easy steps but for sure they take some courage and effort to do so.

     

 

References

Farrell, H. (2015, December 15) What is Depression. Ted-Ed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-IR48Mb3W0

Nierenberg, C. (2016, October 27) 7 Ways to Recognize Depression in 20-Somethings. Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/56602-signs-depression-young-adults.html

Tamparo, C. & Lindh, W. (2019) Therapeutic Communication for Health Care Professionals (4th Edition) [2.5.8484.0] Retrieved from http://texidium.com