ABSTRACT
Prior to the supervision there had been an alarmingly high turnover of personnel; it was hoped that, through supervision as a form of caring for the caregivers, this turnover could be reduced. The establishment of the supervision setting created a protected space for reflection. In the case of carers for AIDS patients, the survivor guilt arises in the helpers as a powerful psychological phenomenon. Psychological realities could begin to withstand the repetitive onslaught of death. Not by chance does time play a central role in the mourning rituals of culture. Traditionally, black mourning clothes were worn for a full year; church memorial services took place a month after death; remarriage after being widowed was only allowed after an appropriate time. Many cultural elements point to how much the process of mourning requires time. If this mourning process is interrupted too soon, or is layered over by one or even several more losses, the work of mourning will be incomplete.
