A little while back, we brought you the story of Alex, a tango dancer who struggled with feelings of sadness and depression after the loss of his wife and partner. This week we had the opportunity to sit down and speak with an expert in the area of bereavement, Anita Sacks, LCSW, member of IPTAR and Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry at NYU's School of Medicine. Having worked in private practice for over 30 years, Ms. Sacks has established herself as one of the leading experts in the field of loss, especially when it relates to couples and families. In our extensive interview with her on the topic of bereavement, Ms. Sacks covered a great deal of information. We're happy to present that discussion to you here, in two parts.
In this first section, Ms. Sacks provides an in depth description of what she calls "the bereavement event." Building off the work of several therapists and researchers, including Drs. Erich Lindemann, George Engel and Myron Hofer, Ms. Sacks discusses how our past experiences, the circumstances of our loss and our stage of individual development play key roles in defining how the bereavement event will effect our lives.
None of us is immune to loss, but as we see here, and as Ms. Sacks will describe more thoroughly in the second portion of this interview, treatment can help us move on and limit the negative effects that such a loss will have on our lives.
You'll need Quicktime to access the video below, and be sure to give the clip a couple of moments to load before beginning.
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