ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book on death and dying commonly emphasizes the necessity for families of the dying to talk about the impending death with each other. People have a wide variety of different beliefs about death talk. Most professionals who have attended the bereavement training workshops have described a range of personal beliefs about death and about talking about death. The book also describes more in detail how helpers might become observers to their own beliefs about death and mourning and use them as a resource for conversations with others about death and dying. It attempts to identify some of the professional and personal beliefs and theories about death and mourning and explore ways in which one might use them as a resource to facilitate conversations about death.
