The National Archive of Grief Support Studies
The National Archive of Grief Support Studies(NAGSS) database provides bibliographical information and summaries of recent articles selected for their relevance to grief and bereavement service providers. The articles that are summarized are selected from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and are intended to highlight key concepts as well as provide a brief statement of implications for service providers. Bibliographical information may be used to obtain the original article.
Research, Clinical Practice, and the Human Experience: Putting the Pieces Together
Authors:
Silverman, Phyllis R.
Source:
Death Studies: 2000. Volume 24, pp. 469-478.
Summary
This author of this article was co-principal investigator of the Harvard Child Bereavement Study. She is both a clinician and a researcher. In this article she discusses the differences between the cultures of the clinician and the researcher. The culture surrounding clinicians is concerned with the immediacy of the pain of a group or an individual. The research culture concerns itself with the needs of an identified population and generalizing their needs. The author admits that within each of these cultures there are many sub-cultures (i.e., theories, ideologies), which prevent either from being cohesive. The author posits that there is a third culture that arises out of the clinician’s and the researcher’s personal experiences with death and grief. The author identifies this third culture as “the culture of the human condition.” It is through this third culture that the clinician and researcher are able to work together.
Key words: clinic, research
Service Provider Implications
It is important for clinicians and researchers to be aware of the influence of their own experiences with death and grief and how their professional perspectives influence their approach to grief and bereavement.
