80. Professor Danai Papadatou - Merimna & Childhood Bereavement
"Remember that when you lose a loved person, grieving is a long-term and sometimes very painful process and with many turns ups and upside downs that will affect the entire your entire life. But at the same time grieving is a natural and a healthy process because through grieving you are able to progressively adapt to a new reality from which your loved one is missing. You build a continuing bond with a person who has died."
This week’s Survival of the Kindest podcast features Professor Danai Papadatou. Danai is Professor of Psychology at the University of Athens. Her glittering career is so full it seems like she has lived three lives. She has authored and edited numerous authoritative books and published extensively research articles on bereavement, particularly relating to childhood bereavement. She is an international keynote speaker and member of international committees. But perhaps most impressive of all is her work with Merimna, the charity she set up for childhood bereavement.
She was invited by the Greek government to help when 7 children were killed in a school bus accident in northern Greece. The charity has more recently worked with unaccompanied refugee minors, many who have multiple traumatic experiences. Danai has always seen community as a key part of her work, providing a blended model of psychological support from individual work to community participation.
Her remarkable film about the school bus tragedy will be shown at The Stroud Film Festival on Sunday March 19th . She will be attend remotely and will be free to answer questions. To donate to Merimna, please click on the link here.
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