First published in 1991. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

"Occasionally I read a book and say to myself that this is a book that I wished I had written. This is such a book It is a delightful, practical, interesting, and inspiring book Danai has written a soon-to-be classic in the field Her writing is excellent Her use of theories, concepts, history, and models are wonderful "--Illness, Crisis and Loss

"Danai Papadatou presents] an approach of Relational Care, care based on an understanding of relationships, that should be essential reading . S]he writes in an engaging and non-technical language, and manages to convey complex ideas in a manner that is accessible to all."

--Colin Murray Parkes, OBE, MD, FRCPsych
President, Cruse: Bereavement Care
(From the Foreword)

" A] wonderful contribution to the literature on caregiving and her well thought out ideas about relational caregiving are on the cutting edge. Congratulations."

-- Lynne Ann DeSpelder
CoAuthor, "The Last Dance: Encountering Death and Dying, 8th edition"

"This is no ordinary academic textbook. It is nothing short of a masterpiece in which Papadatou provides the field of death, dying and bereavement with invaluable and constructive insights into the world of caring for the dying and bereaved."--Grief Matters

"This is a fascinating book, applying important theoretical models in order to describe and speculate about how professionals manage to work in an environment where suffering and grief are constantly present. This is an important and substantial addition to the mostly self-help literature about self-care for caregivers."--Doody's Medical Reviews

"In the Face of Death" explores the experiences of health care professionals who care for the seriously ill, the dying, and the bereaved. In this book, Danai Papadatou offers a practical approach to caregiving, as well as a breadth and depth of insight into both the patient's and the caregiver's responses to death.

The author discusses the issues and challenges health care professionals face when treating dying and bereaved patients. Topics include: compassion fatigue, the inevitability of suffering and the potential for growth, suffering in the workplace, team functioning in death situations, and team resilience.

The main themes are:
The Caring Relationship focuses on the relationship between the care provider and the person who is dying or grieving, and proposes a new, relationship-based model of care The Care Provider in Death Situations addresses the health professional's personal responses to death, using a model that illustrates the grieving process of the health professional The Team in the Face of Death provides recommendations for effective, interdisciplinary care services that support dying or bereaved patients as well as the health care provider

This work grew out of the International Conference on Children and Death held in Athens, Greece in October 1989. The conference brought together professionals from different cultures, backgrounds, theoretical perspectives and clinical settings to share their knowledge, insight and support in promoting the philosophy of death education, hospice care and bereavement support to children and families in need. Some of the questions addressed include: How can we educate children about death? How can we best support them when they are grieving? How can we best understand the bereavement process experienced by family members when a child dies?