Bereavement Counselling: Guidelines for practitioners, by Dianne McKissock and Mal McKissock is a book written for professionals. In the first section of the book attempts to offer the counsellor who is already practicing in the field practical applications that would be useful in their practice. It is not intended as a substitute for professional training. The author's attempt to offer suggests to improve the activities of professionals. In the first section, the author's discuss education and training, self awareness, clinical supervision, self-care, ethics, and employment opportunities. In the second section, they discuss factors influencing individual reactions including cultural differences, religious and philosophical beliefs, family modeling, gender, personality, and spirituality in counselling. The third section discusses client issues and strategies for managing such issues as disenfranchised grief, missing and presumed dead, pet death, stigmatised grief, family issues, difficult clients including intoxicated among others, clients with learning difficulties, multiple deaths, organ donations, suicidal clients, homicidal clients, and seductive clients. The fourth section of the book offers suggestions for specific sessions with clients including models for specific sessions, client responsibilities, counselling dying clients, the use of drugs, psychotherapeutic strategies, preparing for the end of sessions, sessions for specific deaths, using music and other art forms, and developing a counselling style. This is a book that every professional should read.

Gerry Cox
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

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