154 - How We Grieve and Why 'Moving On' Isn't the Goal (feat. Dr. Jill Harrington)

Content warning: grief, death, loss, and brief mention of suicide death

Today we’re joined by Dr. Jill Harrington, editor of Superhero Grief: the Transformative Power of Loss. She teaches us about grieving styles, the continuing bonds theory, and unpacks some types of loss (such as cumulative & collective loss and ambiguous loss).

Jill A. Harrington, DSW, LCSW is an Adjunct Professor for the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Washington DC Campus (TCSPP-DC) as well as a Part-Time Lecturer for Rutgers University School of Social Work. Dr. Harrington also maintains an active clinical counseling practice in the Greater Washington DC Area. She is one of the first published authors on the subject of bereavement in U.S. military families and she has been a practicing social worker for over twenty years with a special focus on the intersection of trauma, loss, and bereavement. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and is the creator & lead editor of the new, creative textbook, entitled, Superhero Grief: The Transformative Power of Loss (2021).

Things we mention in this episode/other resources:

- the Look Up Conference that Holly mentions in the intro

- Holly’s upcoming ACPE webinar on April 22nd

- Holly mentions Joe Padilla’s episode: 88 - Practical Tools for Mental Health Ministry (feat. Joe Padilla)

- CXMH ep. 151 - Grief, Certainty, Deconstruction, & Superheroes (feat. James Prescott)

- CXMH ep. 131 - Finding Joy Amidst Tragedy (feat. Dr. Angela Gorrell)

- CXMH ep. 111 - Thriving in Adversity, Blooming in the Dark (feat. Dr. Michelle Pearce)

- CXMH ep. 103 - How We Move Through Suffering (feat. Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren & Sara Showalter Van Tongeren)

- CXMH ep. 42 - Everyday Grief & Learning to Feel Feelings (feat. Aundi Kolber)

- CXMH ep. 19 - "There are parts of me that will never be completely healed." (feat. Kay Warren)

- CXMH ep. 17 - Grief & Loss (feat. John Pavlovitz & Dr. Elizabeth Horn)

Connect with Dr. Harrington on Facebook, on Twitter, or get Superhero Grief: The Transformative Power of Loss on Amazon.

Quotes:

- “As death is permanent, so is our relationship with people we love. So grief is always with us. Always.” (tweet)

- “If we love people…we’re never going to just ‘let them go’ or ‘get over it.’” (tweet)

- “Death may end…a physical life, but that relationship never dies. It just changes.” (tweet)

- “We need time to process loss. Because loss spurns on change, and change requires us to adapt.” (tweet)

- “We need to create a more grief-informed society.” (tweet)

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Intro/Outro music for this episode is ‘Fall Down’ by Rivers & Robots.