ABOUT ME

These pages offer some background about me and my professional work. Quick Sketch provides an informal introduction to the three domains of my professional life: clinical work, writing, and teaching. It might be a good place to start if you want a brief orientation to who I am. The Professional Biography offers a summary of what I do, and my Vita provides a very detailed history of my professional work, my training activities, and my publications

BRIEF SKETCH

I have been a clinician in private practice for most of my professional life. I began my career as a family and couples therapist who worked with all types of life problems. My main focus over the years has been working as a grief counselor, and in the last 25 years, my work has centered on helping people who are bereaved by suicide (also called suicide loss survivors).

I have also participated in several research projects, and have published many professional articles and book chapters. Most recently, I have co-edited new professional books on bereavement after suicide (Grief After Suicide: Understanding the Consequences and Caring for the Survivors – Taylor & Francis, 2011); on how parents cope with the traumatic death of a child (Devastating Losses: How Parents Cope With the Death of a Child to Suicide or Drugs - Springer, 2012); and on an attachment informed approach to grief therapy (Attachment Informed Grief Therapy: The Clinician’s Guide to Foundations and Applications – Taylor & Francis, 2016). For more information, see the Publications section of this website for more information.

Lastly, I have been doing training of mental health professionals and other human service professionals for more than 30 years. My workshops usually focus on grief therapy, traumatic loss, and suicide prevention and postvention. I have trained thousands of people in my workshops, both in the United States and internationally - see the Workshops section of this website for more information.

People sometimes ask me what led me into doing this work, particularly the grief counseling aspect. In part, I feel “called” to the work, in the way that people find they have a purpose that seems suited to their skills and life circumstances, yet works for a larger purpose. Beyond that, there is the truly meaningful satisfaction that I derive from helping people at a time that is often the most difficult period of their life. I have always felt that each of us has an obligation to do what we can to help with the suffering in the world. My clinical work, my research and writing, and my teaching are all personal pathways by which I try to work towards that life goal.

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY

John (Jack) Jordan is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Pawtucket, Rhode Island where he has specialized in work with survivors of suicide and other traumatic losses for more than 35 years. He is the Clinical Consultant for Grief Support Services of the Samaritans in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Professional Advisor to the Loss and Healing Council of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). He is Co-Chair of the Survivors of Suicide Loss Task Force of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. This Task force has recently released postvention guidelines for the United States, titled Responding to Grief, Trauma, and Distress After Suicide: U.S. National Guidelines. The Guidelines can be downloaded at bit.ly/respondingsuicide or http://actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/sites/actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org/files/NationalGuidelines.pdf. For over 30 years, Jack has provided training nationally and internationally for professional caregivers, and has helped to lead many healing workshops for suicide survivors. Jack has published over 50 clinical and research articles, chapters, and full books in the areas of bereavement after suicide, support group models, the integration of research and practice in thanatology, and loss in family and larger social systems. He is the co-author of four books: “After Suicide Loss: Coping with Your Grief – 2nd Edition” (2015 – self-published); “Grief After Suicide: Understanding the Consequences and Caring for the Survivors” (Routledge, 2011), “Devastating Losses: How Parents Cope With the Death of a Child to Suicide or Drugs” (Springer, 2012); and the newly published “Attachment Informed Grief Therapy” (Routledge, 2016).

Click here for VITA

Click here for CANDID PHOTOS