Disenfranchised Grief

Thirty years ago, Kenneth J. Doka coined the term "disenfranchised grief" to refer to losses people experience that are not socially sanctioned, openly acknowledged, or publicly mourned. The concept of disenfranchised grief is now widely recognised and used in the health professions and social sciences. Unfortunately, the same attention to the issue is less true of clergy training, ministry practice, and many caregiving circles. This text helps clergy and ministry caregivers understand current grief theory and acknowledge a variety of situations in their congregations where grief might be overlooked or even discouraged.