Dr. Justin Yopp, Coauthor of The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life (ENCORE EPISODE)

“You’re not alone. There are many, many people out there going through the same thing as you. You do not have to be perfect. You were not perfect before your husband or wife or partner died, and you don’t need to be perfect now. Give yourself some leeway. Be self-forgiving, and be patient with yourself. You’re going to drop a lot of balls. You’re going to sometimes feel like it’s overwhelming. You’re going to feel like you’re not sure you can do this, or you don’t know how to move forward. You’re going to have questions abound. Rely on your friends and family, even if they can’t fully appreciate it. Give yourself some space; this takes time. There’s no clock on this, no time limit.”

— Dr. Justin Yopp

ENCORE EPISODE - originally published January 16, 2019

I had such a great discussion with Dr. Justin Yopp of the University of North Carolina for this episode. Justin is a clinical psychologist and is co-author of the book, “The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life.”

I really enjoyed our wide-ranging discussion. It was a fascinating mix of practical and academic, and included some great stories from the widowed dads in the book about their experiences. Some of the topics we covered include:

  • the dual process model of coping and bereavement;

  • post-traumatic growth;

  • the concept of being a ‘good enough’ parent;

  • the unique hardships of being a widowed father; and

  • the research into the needs of widowed parents being conducted at UNC.

By the way, if you’re a widowed mom or dad with kids 18 & under at home, and widowed less than three years, I’d encourage you to answer the survey on their web site…this is such important work and, surprisingly, there is very little research that’s been done on the needs of widowed parents.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Dr. Justin Yopp.

 
 

Links & resources for this episode

More links for listeners

 
 

Thank you sponsors & partners:

Help Texts - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://helptexts.com/jennylisk

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

Support the show - Chip in at BuyMeACoffee.com

What is your biggest challenge as a widowed parent right now?

Call our voice mailbox at (669)257-3434 and leave a message. Or, answer this quick one-question survey. We’ll work with experts to answer listener questions in future episodes & articles.

 

Jenny Lisk

Jenny Lisk is the founder of the Widowed Parent Institute. She is an award-winning author and widowed mom who is dedicated to helping widowed parents increase their family's well-being. Jenny’s books, Future Widow and Widowed Parents Unite, and her show, The Widowed Parent Podcast, guide the journey of solo parenting after loss.

https://jennylisk.com/
Previous
Previous

Buffy Peters and Sasha Mudlaff From Hamilton's Academy of Grief and Loss with Advice for Parents on Children's Grief (ENCORE EPISODE)

Next
Next

Rachel Kodanaz on Returning to Work After Loss