ABSTRACT
Writing a letter of condolence to adults in bereavement is nearly always appreciated and appropriate, especially when such letters are sincere and personal rather than cliched expressions of sympathy. The objective of the presentation was to provide tools to staff to empower them in expressing condolences compassionately. Two emotions are consistently triggered when witnessing the suffering of another: empathic concern and emotional contagion. Continuing bonds theory defines grieving as a process of reconfiguring the relationship with a deceased loved one such that there is an ongoing bond that will endure throughout the bereaved person’s life. When people feel empowered to write personally meaningful letters of condolence to the bereaved, they are better able to avoid the sense of being overwhelmed by emotional contagion and to step toward the other’s pain in a genuine expression of empathic concern.
