Managing and Making Sense of Life-changing Illness, Accidents, and Tragedies

We all encounter hassles (the car breaks, the plumbing leaks, we catch a cold) on a regular basis and generally manage to cope; however, catastrophes are beyond our coping skills. Experiences we cannot readily fix or control challenge us in fundamental ways, indelibly changing our lives, disrupting identity, career, relationships, meaning, hope for the future, our highest god image, and our personal narratives. Using lecture, discussion, and exercises, we will explore experiences of tragic events (both personal and collective) and ways to provide self-care and assistance to others, how to be a help rather than a nuisance. This program will present a holistic model of care. Participants will learn supportive theory and research for this topic from related fields and traditions.