September 2000
The Director - Features
Crisis Intervention: The Role of Funeral Directors
The death of a loved one may not be the only crisis a family faces
Funeral directors encounter people in crisis every day. Learning what to say—and what not to say—is never easy. For a funeral director, wearing this crisis-worker "hat" is time consuming and daunting. To be effective, however, the funeral service profession must incorporate and understand crisis intervention and the simple skills needed to be helpful.
Crisis Intervention: The Role of Funeral Directors explains what a crisis is, what creates a crisis, the three levels a crisis affects a person, and how to assess a crisis. It discusses cultural diversity and explains that coping with grief is a culturally learned process that is filled with a variety of unique rituals and ceremonies. It also gives a list of skills and strategies that can be used to help a person who is grieving, as well as some factors to consider when deciding when to refer a family to a professional health-care worker. It also points out that funeral directors often neglect themselves in handling a personal crisis.
The article was written by Jarett D. Sperling, B.S., and Rick A. Myer, Ph.D. Sperling is a licensed funeral director at his family firm in Pittsburgh, PA, a master's-degree candidate in community counseling at Duquesne University, and a counseling intern at North Hills Youth Ministry Counseling Center. Sperling is also a volunteer at The Caring Place, A Center for Grieving Children, Adolescents, and Their Families. Myer is a licensed psychologist, director of The Center for Crisis Intervention and Prevention, and assistant professor at Duquesne University. Myer also authored a book, Assessment for Crisis Intervention: A Triage Assessment Model, by Brooks/Cole Publishing.
