Campus Connection

Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference June 5-7 features alternative, contemporary grief therapies

Conference attendees will share personal stories to kick off this year’s International Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference at UW-La Crosse. Alternative and contemporary therapies for grief such as storytelling, humor and mindfulness will be shared throughout the conference June 5-7, at the UWL Student Union, 521 East Ave. N. Storytelling sessions led by long-term conference attendees Andy McNeil and Joy Johnson will run from 8:30-9 a.m. Monday, June 5, and Tuesday, June 6, in 2130 Grandad. The conference provides presentations and sessions on death, grief and bereavement as they relate to caregiving. A pre-conference workshop will be Sunday, June 4. The full conference June 5-7 is $499 and $215 for UWL students. A breakdown of cost of the conference per day is available online. To register and learn more, visit https://www.uwlax.edu/conted/dgb/register/. Walk-in registrations will be accepted. Another speaker to share an alternative grief therapy is author Allen Klein — a.k.a. "Mr. Jollytologist®." Klein is an award-winning professional keynote speaker and best-selling author who shows how humor can help people deal with everyday trials and tribulations, as well as triumphing over tragedy. Klein will present “Seeing Demise through Humorous Eyes” from 1:30-3 p.m. Monday, June 5, in 2130 Grandad. Conference history, Continuing Education commitment The international conference traditionally attracts about 120 attendees. Most hail from Wisconsin, but people also come from other states and countries. The conference started nearly 40 years ago in London, Ontario. When the organizer there retired, he asked Gerry Cox, then director of UWL’s Center for Death Education and Bioethics, if he would take it over. Cox agreed and the conference moved to UWL in 2002. Now retired, Cox still drives to the conference each year from Kansas. He volunteers to help recruit and introduce speakers, but he is grateful for UWL Continuing Education and Extension. The office organizes the conference from registration to transportation to tours. “They are marvelous. Any problem we’ve had, they were able to fix it,” says Cox. “I’ve been to conferences around the world and we have the best people to work with.” Learn more on the conference website.