When Angels Call: Coping with Grief & Loss

The first question you might have is: “What qualifies this author to write a book about Grief and Loss?” The short answer is I have a PhD in Counselling Psychology and over 30 years of professional experience as a Therapist/Consultant who dealt with hundreds of individuals and families going through Grief & Loss.

The longer answer is more of a story and includes me as an experiencer of Grief and Loss in most of its usual forms. This includes the loss of both parents, the loss of several friends, two clients committing suicide and a murder in my extended family. I can also add to this list – going through a divorce in my 20’s and a few failed relationships after till I met my lovely wife of 37 years and finally getting that right.

If I were a plumber and writing a book, I would talk to you about my own plumbing challenges and how I overcame them along with my years of work experience that make me an expert on plumbing. Since I am a psychotherapist I should talk to you about my own losses and how these were dealt with, along with the many therapy clients I worked with over the years. And yes, these are the 30 years of experiences that make up “When Angels Call – 3rd Edition.” So let me begin there.

My early training set the stage for what was to become a regular feature of my therapy practice. I did my doctoral training year at a Cancer Treatment Hospital. Death and Dying were on the menu every day. What was an aspiring therapist expected to do here? I learned to listen, to sympathize and to help individuals come to terms with their feelings regarding the loss of a loved one who just passed. I worked with patients who had received a terminal diagnosis and their family members who were equally shattered by the news. I gained experience providing therapeutic support to nursing staff and social services personnel who were the front line workers dealing with these shattered lives. Essential guidance came from more experienced hospital therapists and from books such as Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’ work on Death and Dying and dozens more Grief Recovery Handbooks on the great variety of forms grief and loss could take.

This training and experience set the stage for my practice years where additional experience was garnered with specific types of grieving such as the Loss of a Spouse, the Loss of a Child, the Loss of a Parent, Murder Grief, Suicide Grief and, of course, Relationship Grief. While dealing with such cases life required me to say my own goodbyes to lost friends, family members and parents. What I learned in the consulting room helped me deal with my losses teaching me that dealing with them head-on leads to healing, gives us strength and helps us grow.

Everything listed above is included in the book, but there’s more. I’m a story teller. I like Mythology, especially Angel Mythology and I include many such stories in the book to help you, the reader, see this experience from a variety of perspectives. For example you will find simple “reflections” on Death and Dying that underscore its heart-felt reality as the toughest we have to deal with, while pointing out there is genuine hope in moving through the grieving process. And that’s what “When Angels Call” is about – giving you hope and comfort while you deal with your losses and heal your broken heart.

This experience belongs to us all. No one is immune. You either feel what you feel, cry it out when necessary and heal yourself as a result. Or you hang to that pain by denying it and prolong your grieving for years to come. Getting help in the form of books, therapy services and sharing with trusted friends is always the better option. Know that you are not alone. We’ve all been there and pros like myself know how to fix things, whether it’s plumbing or a broken heart. Give yourself what you need. You deserve it! I know what you’re going through and I wish you all the best in your healing journey.