Grief is a universal thing that everybody feels, but about which not everyone speaks. Society has pushed away the ‘social norm’ of grief, which has caused people to become uncomfortable when speaking about it or trying to help someone who is dealing with such grief. People often do not know the right words to comfort a grieving person, which causes even more distraught to the griever and the helper. First Year Seminar (FYS) Good Mourning: Learning to live through Grief and Loss breaks that social norm.
Taught by Social Work Field Education Director Dr. Kristin Kurjiaka,, this FYS helps first year students to realize it is okay to not only feel your grief but also speak about it to others. This course also speaks about different practices of grief, how others may deal with it and the usage of specific rituals that other cultures use. Another special thing that this course has is Kurjiaka brings in guest speakers to speak about their story with grief, how they work with grief or simply talk about examples of grief that they have seen people deal with.
Early education major, Paige Foster, is a student in the class. “So far this class this semester has been fine,” Foster said. “The workload has not been too bad and the work we do is mainly based off of our own experiences with grief and loss. I also like the teaching style as it is the best way I can learn.” Foster appreciates learning about the diversity within the grieving process. “My favorite thing we have talked about so far is how it is okay to feel prolonged grief and is how we all grieve differently and should not base our grief off of others,” she said.
The biggest stereotype towards grief is that people grieve the same. This class has taught me and other students that this is not the case. There are so many possibilities for people to deal with their grief. Whether it be laughing, not speaking about the matter, or crying, just to name a few, no two people grieve alike. Just because someone else does not grieve the way you do, does not mean they do not grieve at all.
This FYS has also made me more comfortable with speaking about my experiences with the grief I have felt in my life. It has been an eye opener in the sense that most people around us are grieving and we have no idea that they are. Their coping mechanism may be that they do not show any emotion with the grief that they are experiencing, and that is something I believe everyone should realize.If you or someone you know has been through an event that has caused a significant amount of grief, help is at your fingertips. Etown’s counseling services are here to help. Visit https://www.etown.edu/offices/counseling/ or stop by BSC 216, Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Emergency walk-in appointments are also available to those who are in need of it.
