| dc.description.abstract | Phenomenological inquiry was utilized to explore the feelings, experiences, and education of bereavement support professionals working in children’s hospices in the United Kingdom (U.K.). A total of 15 participants from six children’s hospices across the 33 boroughs of London, England, United Kingdom took part in the study. Participants were recruited through a convenience and snowball sampling process and met the following inclusion criteria: (a) currently employed at a children’s hospice in the U.K., (b) had a background in mental health, counseling, psychology, or a related field, and (c) their role involved providing support and/or enhanced emotional well-being for children, young people, and families. Semi-structured, individual interviews were conducted to answer the research question.
The research question guiding the study was: What are the experiences and perceived levels of preparedness of bereavement professionals' working with bereaved children, families, and young people? Moustaka’s (1994) modification of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method was utilized for data analysis. This researcher identified six themes and various subthemes. The main themes included: the foundation of hospice is holistic, bereavement work entails a unique developmental process, the nature of the work requires additional support and supervision, perceptions of death and disabilities matter, death work allows for a greater focus on life, and children present with unique perceptions and needs related to grief and bereavement. The findings illuminate considerations for grief, bereavement, and death work including education, supervision, and clinical practice. Limitations, recommendations for future research, and implications for counselors and counselor educators are addressed. | en_US |
