In addition to her own personal experiences with death and dying, Susan L. Fuller has worked with people who are grieving for over 20 years. How to Survive Your Grief is the culmination of the work which began with her mother's death from cancer in 1985 and her subsequent training as a psychotherapist at Lesley College. She holds a M.A. degree in Counseling Psychology and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Massachusetts. In 1988 she began facilitating a bereavement support group for Omega Emotional Support Services. She credits these 3 years with making her an expert on grief. During this time she was in a position to witness the real life experiences of people who were grieving all kinds of losses...mothers, fathers, children, siblings, friends, as well as sudden deaths, accidental deaths, homicides, suicides, and prolonged deaths. Later her understanding deepened with her work in two hospice programs where she trained volunteers in grief support and provided bereavement services to hospice families.