EP 31: Ken Doka PhD - Grief and Resilience- Part Two

12/03/22 • 33 min

In the field of death and bereavement studies, Dr. Ken Doka is one of today's premiere thought leaders and researchers (his publications and credits are too numerous to list, but you can find them all HERE). To name just a few, he's written and/or co-authored numerous books that are used as required texts in college courses on psychology and grief, including:
. Dying & Death: Life & Living
. When We Die: Extraordinary Experiences at Life’s End
. Living with Grief since COVID-19
. Intimacy and Sexuality during Illness and Loss
. Aging America: Coping with loss, dying, and death in later life
. Transforming Loss: Finding Potential for Growth
. When Grief Is Complicated,
. The Longest Loss: Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
. Helping Adolescents Cope with Loss
... and many more.
In addition to these books, he has published over 100 articles and book chapters. Dr. Doka is editor of both Omega: The Journal of Death and Dying and Journeys: A Newsletter to Help in Bereavement. He has an ongoing blog for Psychology Today entitled Good Mourning.
We are delighted to welcome him as a presenter in our upcoming
SYMPOSIUM ON DEATH AND BEREAVEMENT STUDIES.

Previous Episode

EP 30: Robert Neimeyer, PhD - Grief and Resilience - Part One

We are very excited to presesnt this interview with Robert A. Neimeyer, Ph.D., who is among the leading researchers in the field of death and bereavement. His work is legendary, and when you listen to this podcast, you'll find him to be extremely compassionate, articulate and wise.
Dr. Neimeyer is a professor in the department of psychology, University of Memphis, and also serves as director of the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, which offers training and certification in grief therapy. Since completing his doctoral training in 1982, he has published 30 books, including a series of volumes on Techniques of Grief Therapy and Grief and the Expressive Arts, the latter with Barbara Thompson, and serves as Editor of the journal Death Studies.
He has published more than 500 articles and book chapters, and is currently working to advance a more adequate theory of grieving as a meaning-making process, both in his published work and through his frequent professional workshops for national and international audiences.
Neimeyer served as president of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), and chair of the International Work Group for Death, Dying, & Bereavement. In recognition of his contributions, he has been granted the Eminent Faculty Award by the University of Memphis, made a fellow of the clinical psychology division of the American Psychological Association, and given Lifetime Achievement Awards by both the Association for Death Education and Counseling and the International Network on Personal Meaning.
Related Links of Interest:
The Portland Institute for Loss and Transistion
Robert Neimeyer website
Robert Neimeyer's books
Symposium on Death and Bereavement Studies
Marian University Thanatology Program

Next Episode

EP 32: Whitewashing Violence in the Hebrew Bible - with Rev. Caffie Risher

Rev. Caffie Risher is a Christian pastor and grief counselor who is deeply aware of the presence of toxic theology in scripture and in the teachings of the church. She infuses her ministry for the bereaved with clear, critical thinking and a non-dogmatic approach to spirituality in the process of grief and mourning.
Caffie has early recollections of walking dirt roads in the south with her grandmother Jessie Mae where they would take care of relatives and community members when there was a death in the family or if someone was sick and needed help. Both her mother, Earlene Williams Risher, and grandmother taught her Christ-care, compassion, and pastoral concern for others at an early age.

For Caffie, it is life’s experiences, her own mortality, death of loved ones, personal loss, grief, educational experiences, and certifications that have all shaped and equipped her for this journey to minister hope and healing to those who are hurting.

In 2002 she was appointed to the position of “Minority Scholar” teaching public speaking and introduction to business courses at Passaic County Community College. Eighteen years later she holds the position of a tenured Assistant Professor and Academic Coordinator of Public Speaking in the Fine and Performing Arts Department. She teaches Public Speaking, Business Communication, Business Writing, and Death and Dying courses. She also serves as chair of the Distinguished Lecturer Series and faculty advisor to the Power in Christ Christian Club who won the Emerging Club Award for excellent campus involvement and exceptional leadership.

Prior to this, she held a post at New York Theological Seminary where she taught for several years in the Certificate of Ministry program.

For more on this topic, read this article:
Does the Hebrew Bible Sanctify Mass Murder... and Disregard the Resulting Trauma?