Digital Storytelling: Families' Search for Meaning after Child Death

J Soc Work End Life Palliat Care. 2017 Oct-Dec;13(4):239-250. doi: 10.1080/15524256.2017.1387216.

Abstract

Bereaved families that collectively make meaning of their grief experiences often function better than those that do not, yet most social work bereavement interventions target individuals rather than family units. In this article, authors describe an innovative social work intervention that employs digital storytelling. This is a narrative technique that combines photography, music, and spoken word to help families bereaved by child death make meaning of their loss and envision a future without their deceased child.

Keywords: Bereavement; child death; digital storytelling; family; meaning-making.

MeSH terms

  • Bereavement*
  • Death*
  • Female
  • Grief
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parents / psychology*
  • Psychotherapy / methods*