Page 10 - Intuition, Imagination and Innovation in Suicidology Conference. 12th Triple i | Virtual Conference | 25th–27th May 2021
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h Triple i | Virtual Conference | 25th–27th May 2021 Bereavement in Difficult Times
Vita Poštuvan
Assoc. prof. Vita Poštuvan works as a researcher and Deputy Head of the Slovene
Centre for Suicide Research (UP IAM) and Department of Psychology (FAMNIT) at
the University of Primorska. She leads the work related to clinical-research and
public-health interventions in suicidology, bereavement, crisis interventions and
psychotherapy. She has participated in major European and Slovenian studies in
the field of (public) mental health, suicidology and psychology, which were pu-
blished in international journals. She has worked at the National Center of Neu-
rology and Psychiatry (NCNP) in Tokyo, Japan as well as in the Suicide Research
Group, Department for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University
of Vienna, Austria, as a fellow researcher. Her professional work is also focused
on psychological counselling, psychotherapy and prevention. As a psychological
counsellor and cognitive-behavioural therapist she offers psychological support
for students and individuals and implements mindfulness-based cognitive the-
rapy. She is a member of national unit for psychological research within the civil
protection.
Abstract. Death and suicide are inseparable from grief. As we know, berea-
vement is a process of coming to terms with the loss of a loved one, full of
difficult emotional challenges. One of the most important elements in this
process are the support of people in the social network, community, and sy-
stems. These are usually expressed through rituals around death. In suicide
cases, bereaved people often feel that there is less community support beca-
use of the stigma surrounding the cause of death. Bereaved people feel that
those around them express their condolences with ‘empty words,’ distance,
or fear that the bereaved will blurt out their emotions. Therefore, avoidance
and a lack of authentic support is a common experience of bereaved people
after a suicide. In the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, this is even more evi-
dent. Many systems, such as schools or places of employment, which often
provided a natural way to connect with others and give the bereaved oppor-
tunity for meaningful interaction, were closed for extended periods of time.
This has implications for complications in the grieving process, such as pro-
longed grief disorder (PGD) or complicated grief (CG).
10 https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-068-4.10
Vita Poštuvan
Assoc. prof. Vita Poštuvan works as a researcher and Deputy Head of the Slovene
Centre for Suicide Research (UP IAM) and Department of Psychology (FAMNIT) at
the University of Primorska. She leads the work related to clinical-research and
public-health interventions in suicidology, bereavement, crisis interventions and
psychotherapy. She has participated in major European and Slovenian studies in
the field of (public) mental health, suicidology and psychology, which were pu-
blished in international journals. She has worked at the National Center of Neu-
rology and Psychiatry (NCNP) in Tokyo, Japan as well as in the Suicide Research
Group, Department for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University
of Vienna, Austria, as a fellow researcher. Her professional work is also focused
on psychological counselling, psychotherapy and prevention. As a psychological
counsellor and cognitive-behavioural therapist she offers psychological support
for students and individuals and implements mindfulness-based cognitive the-
rapy. She is a member of national unit for psychological research within the civil
protection.
Abstract. Death and suicide are inseparable from grief. As we know, berea-
vement is a process of coming to terms with the loss of a loved one, full of
difficult emotional challenges. One of the most important elements in this
process are the support of people in the social network, community, and sy-
stems. These are usually expressed through rituals around death. In suicide
cases, bereaved people often feel that there is less community support beca-
use of the stigma surrounding the cause of death. Bereaved people feel that
those around them express their condolences with ‘empty words,’ distance,
or fear that the bereaved will blurt out their emotions. Therefore, avoidance
and a lack of authentic support is a common experience of bereaved people
after a suicide. In the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, this is even more evi-
dent. Many systems, such as schools or places of employment, which often
provided a natural way to connect with others and give the bereaved oppor-
tunity for meaningful interaction, were closed for extended periods of time.
This has implications for complications in the grieving process, such as pro-
longed grief disorder (PGD) or complicated grief (CG).
10 https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-068-4.10
