ABSTRACT
The title for this chapter, “Some Final Thoughts,” may strike readers as draconian. I can imagine my wife saying, “If these thoughts are going to be the final ones you ever have, here’s hoping you make them good.” This last chapter offers the chance to profess my hopes in the new cohort of thanatology professionals (students, practitioners, researchers, teachers) who are finding interest in issues of thanatology and contributing to our understanding of dying and grieving during adolescence. Some of this new cohort will contribute to evidence-based interventions that target specific needs of dying or grieving adolescents. Some may team with the established generation of scholars and practitioners, and some may even solidify the span being built to bridge the gap separating bereavement researchers and practitioners. With this expression of hope in the contributions coming from the next generation of thanatology professionals, I have some specific ideas to offer for projects. Two of these projects are research studies, and one is an intervention combining creative arts expression and bereavement support. We will start with the intervention.
