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This pandemic will end, but our work in serving the bereaved will continue. The ways in which we respond to the grief of those who lose a loved one during this time will determine how we are trusted and valued in the future. Learn more from Dr. Sara Murphy, author of “Grieving Alone & Together: Responding to the Loss of Your Loved One during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a booklet available for free to all funeral professionals.

Funeral Directors, We Need You! I’ve been privileged to work with funeral directors for more than forty years. I know and respect many of you as colleagues, and I count some of you among my closest friends.  Funeral directors are good people. You’re “people people.” You’re good at helping others, and your empathy skills tend to be well above average. As is typical for caregivers, many of you aren’t so good at taking care of yourselves, however. This puts you at risk of burnout and mental and physical health issues during normal times. Now, more than ever, it’s essential for you to prioritize good basic self-care.

As you know, meaningful funerals are “rites of initiation.” They help survivors start the process of taking their grief, the “internal response to loss,” and allowing it to become mourning, the “shared response to loss.” When people cannot participate in ceremony they often feel as if their mourning is “on hold.”