Mount Ida College

The National Center for Death Education (NCDE) is grateful to the Dana Project's generous support for the humanitarian, educational and academic activities of Sandra Bertman, PhD. Believing that the arts and humanities provide a vital understanding of underutilized skills in both teaching and clinical practice, Dr. Bertman's Programs are expanding the research and resources for humanism, professionalism, and compassionate care for health professionals.

About Dr. Bertman
Dr. Bertman has been an ardent supporter of the National Center for Death Education since its inception in Kenmore Square. A member of the Advisory Board, frequent keynote and workshop presenter in Summer Institutes, she has broadened our audiences and curricula to address human suffering in clinical thanatology and palliative medicine. Her chapter "Death Education in the Face of a Taboo " in Grollman (1947), Concerning Death: a Guide for the Living was the initial template for death education in elementary and secondary public schools. Among her publications are the classic handbooks Facing Death: Images, Insights and Interventions (1991) and Grief and the Healing Arts: Creativity as Therapy (1998). The University of Massachusetts honored her with the distinguished Professional and Public Service award (1988), and she is the first non-physician cited by the American Academy for Hospice and Palliative Medicine for outstanding contributions to the advancement of End-of-Life Care (2001).

Please visit http://www.sandrabertman.com for more information, including downloadable articles, publications, seminars and session highlights.  Or contact the National Center for Death Education at ncde@mountida.edu.

Dr. Bertman's international grant supported achievements include the following:

Outreach Seminars, Trainings and Materials for Professional Caregivers 

Understanding Grief and Loss: Caring for the Caregivers, Botswana (completed) Two day-long workshops for nursing professionals and practicing counselors working with HIV/AIDS patients and clients exploring strategies and techniques for coping with loss of life, bereavement overload, and caregiver burnout. We witnessed the power of the arts to communicate across culture and language barriers, and to catapult participants into creative problem-solving and new ways of thinking.  

Curriculum Development: End of Life Issues, Grief, Bereavement and Care-Giver Stress Sequel two week intensive collaboration with the Botswana Nursing Association to develop and design in-service modules on loss and grief counseling that utilizes materials and images specific to Botswana. In the preliminary two day workshops, we created the template for a module addressing children’s issues, supported, in part, by the U.S. Embassy's "Partnership Initiative." 

Caring for the Caregivers Manual publication. (downloadable at www.sandrabertman.com) 

We wish to acknowledge Catholic AIDS Action of Namibia for putting together a national conference and accompanying manual in 2001 called "Caring for Ourselves in Order to Care for Others" that inspired this effort.

Projects in Process (2008-2009)

Art, Spirit and Soul -DVD and Book in progress 

One Breath Apart: Facing Dissection – DVD and Book

Ward Street Studio Archives:  Resource development for websites and educational use

Public Lectures  (Tailor-made)

For sample programs www.sandrabertman.com

For more information, contact NCDE at ncde@mountida.edu