Ep 66 - Dr. Pauline Boss ”Ambiguous Loss”

Guest Info/Bio: This week we speak with Dr. Pauline Boss. Pauline is an educator and researcher who is widely recognized for her groundbreaking research on what is now known as the theory of ambiguous loss. All losses are touched with ambiguity. Yet, Dr. Boss’s research and practice have revealed that those who suffer ambiguous loss, losses without finality or resolution, bear a particular and challenging burden. Whether it is the experience of caring for a parent who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, or waiting to learn the fate of a spouse or family member who has disappeared in a disastrous event like 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina, the experience of loss is magnified and is more significantly challenging to overcome because the loss is linked to a lack of closure. People who experience and live with an ambiguous loss find it hard to understand their situation, difficult to cope and almost impossible to move ahead with their lives without professional counseling, love and support. Since 1973, Dr. Boss has studied ambiguous loss, and trained and worked with psychologists and counselors to help individuals and families who have experienced a life-altering ambiguous loss, often described as a frozen grief, recover their resiliency despite the on-going ambiguity. Drawing on her research and clinical experience, Dr. Boss is committed to working with families to develop meaningful strategies that help them cushion the pain, cope with ambiguous loss and move forward to live productive lives. Pauline Boss received her Ph.D. in Child Development and Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1975. From 1975 to 1981, Dr. Boss was an assistant and then associate professor with tenure at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1981, she joined the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota and continued to work in that position until 2005. In 1995-96, Dr. Boss was appointed Visiting Professor at the Harvard Medical School, and in 2004-2005, she was the Moses Distinguished Professor at the Hunter School of Social Work in New York City. (Selected) Guest Publications: Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief; Loving Someone Who Has Dementia: How to Find Hope while Coping with Stress and Grief; Loss, Trauma, and Resilience: Therapeutic Work With Ambiguous Loss Guest Website/Social Media: www.ambiguousloss.com Special guest music on this episode provided by: Tyson Motsenbocker www.tysonmotsenbocker.com Twitter: @tmotsenbocker Facebook: @tysonmotsenbockermusic Instagram: @japhyrider Enjoy the songs? Songs featured on this episode were: “In Your Name, I Still Have To Go, & Always” from the album, “Letter to Lost Loves.” & “Don’t Be Late” and “Talk at night for nothing” from the E.P. “A Kind Invitation.” Tyson’s music is available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, & Apple Music. Pick up his music anywhere good music is sold! The Deconstructionist’s Podcast is mixed and edited by Nicholas Rowe at National Audio Preservation Society: A full service recording studio and creative habitat, located in Heath, Ohio. Find them on Facebook and Twitter or visit their website for more information. www.nationalaudiopreservationsociety.weebly.com www.facebook.com/nationalaudiopreservationsociety Twitter: @napsrecording Donation: If you enjoy what we’re doing, consider becoming part of our Patreon family. We have some really great ways for you to be a part of what we’re doing and some really cool reward packages! Check us out at our website www.thedeconstructionists.com to join, listen to all of our episodes, subscribe to make sure you never miss a new episode, connect with us on social media, read our blog, or get your hands on one of our many cool t-shirts or pint glasses. Website designed by @ryanbattles

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