At Sheenan Funeral Home, the help they give does not end at the conclusion of the
funeral service
They are there available for their families as long as they need.
Before and during the funeral service, the Sheenan staff listens carefully to their
families and offers support. Being funeral directors and not professional counselors, they
do not provide their own emotional counseling and will take the time to locate just the
right support professional or group to help a person in need.
After every funeral, a funeral director will call on the family to see how they are
doing and to make sure that the services met their expectations. Everyone is encouraged to
call on Sheenan’s if there is anything else they can do. This is not an empty
gesture. The directors at Sheenan Funeral Home really care about the families they serve
and truly want for their families to learn to live a healthy life after surviving the loss
of someone close.
Once the funeral has been completed, there are other matters which need to be taken
care of as the family adjusts to their loss. To aid their families with these concerns,
Sheenan Funeral Home has created their own pamphlet titled "What to do after the
Funeral." This pamphlet, which is available only to Sheenan's families is a guide for
taking care of the many things related to the deceased such as bank accounts, Social
Security, transferring property titles and more. Having a list of "to-do's" is
very helpful to those who have no idea on where to start.
Grieving Seminars are held twice a year
Twice a year Sheenan Funeral Home holds seminars covering aspects of grieving. The
seminars are offered for to client families as well as the general public. Sheenan is
fortunate to have two talented and accomplished professionals who deal with grief, stress
and bereavement; Dr. Susan Arlen and Dr. Kathleen A. Detlet.
The last "Spring Seminar" topic was titled:
"The EMOTION..... Grief: Myth Versus
Reality".
For many people the Spring and Summer months are particularly confusing. The beauty and
rebirth of those seasons contrast vividly with what the bereaved are experiencing.
Learn what an encounter with grief really entails as well as practical ways of coping
during this beautiful time of year.
In November, around the time of Thanksgiving,
a "Holiday Help" Seminar is held:
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The holidays can be especially difficult for people who have recently lost someone
close to them. " The hurried pace of the season, with activities, shopping, Christmas
card lists, and parties add stress and confusion which often triggers new feelings of
grief", says Thomas Sheenan of the Sheenan Funeral Home" We realized that for
many this would be the first holiday season without a close family member present, and
they are at a loss as to how to cope. This program is our special way of reaching out to
not only those families we have served, but to the entire community. Everyone is
welcome".
This past fall, in conjunction with the Dunellen Public Library, Sheenan Funeral Home held
a series of seminars held on Wednesdays with the theme:
"Getting through the Holidays."
On three Wednesday evenings, topics included: "The Many Faces of Grief"
– "Myths About Grief" and "Healing is a Process – Recovery a
Choice."
Those who had attended on Wednesday evenings were grieving a wide
variety of different losses. Yet, when they shared their own experiences they found common
ground between all of them. Because of the wonderful response Tom Sheenan received from
the participants, there will, in all likelihood be another "Getting through
the Holidays" seminar in the fall of 2001!
Unfortunately, death and grieving do not occur at anyone’s convenience. Families
are encouraged to call on the Funeral Home to learn of up and coming seminars or for
referrals to the appropriate health care professionals.
About the speakers:
Dr. Susan Arlen, MD is the former Medical Director for the Hospice at
Somerset Medical Center, and a Psychotherapist specializing in losses associated with
death and life changing illness. She has written extensively and spoken internationally on
these subjects.
Dr Kathleen A. Detlet received a BA, from Caldwell College, MALS from
Wesleyan University, MA in Counseling from Seton Hall University, and a Doctor of Ministry
from Drew University. She has over 15 years of practice in bereavement work training
facilitators and hospice volunteers, coordinating bereavement programs, offering grief
& stress workshops as well as speaking on grief issues.
Dr. Detlet has worked with organizations such as: St. Michael’s Hospital, Newark;
Seton Hall University Counseling Staff; Bayonne Visiting Nurse Association; Hospice
Volunteers, West Essex VNA & Hospice, Verona, NJ. She is an adjunct professor at
Caldwell College previously teaching "Death Issues & Experiences" and
"Ministry to the Grieving" in the Graduate Pastoral Ministry Program. Currently,
she has a class on "Death and Dying in the Graduate Counseling Program.
Sheenan Funeral Home
