Cruse Bereavement Support relaunches academic journal

Cruse Bereavement Support has announced the re-launch of its academic journal, which has been renamed to mark the fortieth anniversary of its first publication. The new open-access, online edition is entitled ‘Bereavement: Journal of grief and responses to death’, though this was previously known as ‘Bereavement Care’. The modernised publication has grown from the initial eight-page newsletter to an online home of regular articles from leading experts, who will write about grief from a variety of perspectives including academia and research, innovation in the field and commentary on current practice. Following the success of the printed publication in 1982, the magazine opened up its offering to everyone who helped bereaved people, and expanded to include academic articles from experts on grief and bereavement. In 2009, for example, it was taken on by the publishers, Routledge, where it was also published online for its subscribers. Earlier issues included articles that explored themes such as bereavement among immigrant and refugee families, helping disaster victims and working with bereaved children. The new edition includes articles covering: latest research on bereavement during the Covid-19 pandemic, the uniqueness of the loss of a twin, grief support and therapy dogs for incarcerated women and hospital services that support families bereaved during the pandemic. It also asks the question: do we need to decolonise bereavement studies? Dr Caroline Pearce, editor-in-chief of Bereavement said: “A space for critical and informed research, discussion and debate on grief and bereavement is more vital than ever. “‘Bereavement: Journal of grief and responses to death aims’ to provide this space, supporting the ever-growing community of researchers, practitioners, policymakers, volunteers and people with lived experience involved in improving understanding of grief and bereavement and enhancing the quality of support provided to bereaved people.” Steven Wibberley, CEO of Cruse Bereavement Support added: “Since its beginning with the incredible work of psychiatrists Colin Murray Parkes and Dora Black; the journal has played an important part in Cruse’s vision that we live in a world where everyone grieving is understood. “We’re thrilled to be embarking on this new chapter of the Bereavement Journal and to be hosting such an exciting collection of new academic literature on grief in the modern world.”