Publications

When We Die (November 2020). 

When We Die explores unusual experiences such as premonitions of death, near death experience, and extraordinary experiences of the deceased in grieving persons. While these types of experiences are common, they are not often talked about and it is sometimes difficult to understand what they mean. This book provides stories and research about unusual phenomena related to the dying process and helps you come to your own understanding of what those experiences mean to you..

Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications

Purchase from Llewellyn or Amazon.

Intimacy and Sexuality during Illness and Loss, (with Amy Tucci), 2020.

Intimacy and Sexuality during Illness and Loss deals with a sensitive yet oft neglected aspect of illness and grief. It offers perceptive counsel to those trying to assist clients and patients as they cope with needs for intimacy and recognition of sexuality even at life end.

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America.

Death & Dying, Life & Living 8th Edition (2019).

Dr. Doka has joined Dr. Charles Corr and Dr. Donna Corr as the author of this classic text, now in its 8th Edition (2019).

Published by Cengage Tel: +1 617.289.7700  
ISBN-13: 978-1337563895
ISBN-10: 9781337563897

Aging America: Coping with Loss, Dying and Death in Later Life (with Amy Tucci) (2019)

Aging America: Coping with Loss, Dying and Death in Later Life (with Amy Tucci) explores the many losses that older persons experience as they encounter dying and loss. Special attention is offered to specific sensitivities and interventions for older persons as they cope with loss, grief, and life-threatening illness.  (2019). 
Published by 
Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America
(800) 854 3402  
ISBN 978-893349-23-0

Transforming Loss: Finding Potential for Growth examines the history and identification of transformative experiences in the wake of loss; explore  how the nature of the loss, spirituality, age, and other factors affect growth; and provide other tools and interventive strategies for clinicians to support and encourage transformative growth in grieving clients. The book also reviews the role that support groups and self-help advice can play in this process, and shares some individuals’ stories of their own transformative experiences.
 Publisher: Hospice Foundation of America (March 25, 2018)

When Grief is Complicated examines the academic research and arguments surrounding complicated grieving through case studies, counseling strategies, and historical perspectives. 
Publisher: Hospice Foundation of America; First edition (April 1, 2017)
ISBN-10: 1893349217
ISBN-13: 978-1893349216

Grief Is a Journey: Finding Your Path Through Loss Hardcover – April 12, 2016In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Kenneth Doka explores a new, compassionate way to grieve, explaining that grief is not an illness to get over but an individual and ongoing journey.

Publisher: Atria Books (April 12, 2016)

ISBN-10: 1476771480

ISBN-13: 978-147677148

The Longest Loss: Alzheimer’s Disease and DementiaThis book, co-edited with Amy Tucci focuses on the particular grief issues that dementia creates for patients, families, and professional caregivers during the course of the illness as well as the grief reactions of families and other caregivers following the death. 

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402

Helping Adolescents Cope with Loss, edited with Amy Tucci, focuses on the unique issues that adolescents experience when faced with dying, death, and grief. It’s 24 chapters address a range of issues including suicide and traumatic loss and includes the voices of adolescents who have experienced such losses as well as chapters by the foremost clinicians on supporting grieving adolescents.

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America
(800) 854 3402

Improving Care for Veterans Facing Illness and Death. Edited with Amy Tucci, this edited volume addresses the unique issues that veterans might experience at life’s end. US Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, wrote the Foreword.

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402 

Journeys with Grief: A Collection of Articles about Love, Life, and Loss is designed for individuals dealing with loss. Based on sound research and current theory, some of the leading experts on grief offer sound advice to bereaved individuals on the issues that they may experience as they journey with grief.

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402

End-of-Life Ethics: A Case Study Approach (edited with Amy Tucci, Charles Corr, and Bruce Jennings). The ethical cases in the book, all written and discussed by prominent professionals, really show “ethics in action.” These cases highlight real issues, looking at issues around communication, surrogacy, decision making when children or adolescents are involved, and treatment decisions. For professionals, the cases may help to validate the difficult choices that they guide families through every day in hospice and palliative care, or in a hospital or nursing home setting.

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America

 (800) 854 3402

Beyond Kübler-Ross: New Perspectives on Death, Dying and Grief (with Amy Tucci) looks closely at the pioneering legacy of the work of Kübler-Ross and discusses how professional understanding of dying and grief has progressed and developed. Readers will find spirited discourse on the most current issues surrounding the question of how people grieve and how professionals can best support them, in chapters and tools that will augment and even challenge their work.

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402

Spirituality and End-of-Life Care edited with Amy Tucci offers tools for assessment and intervention to assist counselors and individuals in utilizing spiritual strengths as they face illness and death, A second section of the book reviews how varied spiritual approaches understand dying and death. In this section, authors explore not only major faith traditions including Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism but also spiritual issues that may arise with atheists, agnostics, humanists as well as New Age approaches such as Wiccans, Pagans, and Nature Spiritualists.

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America
(800)854 3402

Grieving beyond Gender: Understanding the Ways Men and Woman Mourn (with Terry Martin) is a revision of their earlier work, Men Don’t Cry…Women Do: Transcending Gender Stereotypes of Grief. This work significantly expands their earlier work — integrating current research and theory (including from the emerging psychology of men), developing clinical applications, and adding a family perspective.

Routledge/Taylor & Francis

(800) 634-7064

Cancer and End-of-Life Care (with Amy Tucci) reviews the special issues that cancer creates for patients, families and staff at the end of life. The book includes 14 chapters written by recognized experts that review treatment issues, psychosocial and spiritual care, and grief as well as 3 personal perspectives and a foreword by Dr. Richard Payne.

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402

Diversity and End-of-Life Care (with Amy Tucci) This book, edited with Amy Tucci, offers a study of the ways that cultural diversity influences end-of-life care.  The book offers a multifaceted view of diversity including race and ethnicity, social class, spirituality, sexual orientation, and disabilities. The book encompasses 17 chapters authored by experts within the field, and a foreword by Dr. Richard Payne.

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402

Counseling Individuals with Life-Threatening Illness presents a comprehensive guide for counselors, social workers, and health care professionals, as they assist clients experiencing a serious illness. The book builds on a model developed by the author, based upon earlier work by Avery Weisman and E. M. Patterson. It offers specific tasks that patients and families struggle with at each phase of illness and offers interventive strategies for professional caregivers. 

New York: Springer Publishing Company 

(877) 687-7476

Living with Grief: Children and Adolescents

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402

This book is the newest volume on children and adolescent responses to loss and grief including both the latest research and interventive strategies.  The book’s sections explore developmental perspectives on death, the dying child, and grieving children and adolescents.  The final and largest section emphasizes therapeutic approaches for children and adolescents.  Appendices offer both print and no-print resources as well as protocols for schools dealing with loss.

Living with Grief: Before and After Death

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402

This book includes chapters by leading experts on grief that charterize the experience of grief throughout a life-limiting illness and after a death. Sections include anticipatory mourning and grief, new insights and developments in grief theory, and implications for practice. A final section examines implications for self care. In addition, J. William Worden contributes the Foreword.

Dying Death and Bereavement (Volumes I-IV) (2006)

Philadelphia, Brunner- Mazel — Routledge

(800) 821- 8321 ext. 157

Dying Death and Bereavement is part of Routledge’s Major Themes in Health and Social Welfare Series. This series is primarily designed as a library reference work. The volumes include both classic and contemporary research and theoretical articles in thanatology along with integrative essays. The volumes explore humanistic and developmental approaches to death and dying as well classical and contemporary clinical work on the processes of dying and bereavement.

Pain Management at the End-of-Life: Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Practice

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402

This edited book has leading authorities in pain management explore all facets of pain control. The book explores the experience of pain, noting the many barriers to pain management. In addition, there are strong sections that consider the assessment and management of pain as well as the ethical and policy issues that may arise in treating pain at the end-of-life.

Living with Grief: Ethical Dilemmas at the End-of-Life. (with Charles Corr and Bruce Jennings)

Washington, DC:  The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402

Written by some of the nation’s leading authorities on ethics and end-of-life care, this book explores a range of issues including artificial nutrition and hydration, physician-assisted suicide, pediatric care, organ donation, surrogate decisions making and other ethical and legal issues.  Available through the Hospice Foundation of America.

Living with Grief: Alzheimer’s Disease

Washington, DC:  The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402

This book explores all facets of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. In addition to medical, legal, social and psychological perspectives on dementia, the book offers a strong section on approaches to grief counseling with persons with the disease as well as their family, friends and caregivers.

Living with Grief:  Coping with Public Tragedy (2003)

Washington, DC:  The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402

This book, edited with Marcia Lattanzi-Licht, offers a comprehensive perspective on ways to assist survivors of a public tragedy.  The book not only describes responses to different types of public tragedy but suggests strategies for assisting both individuals, families, schools, workplaces and communities.

Living with Grief: Loss in Later Life, (2002) focuses on the unique issues that arise when older persons encounter loss – presenting a conceptual framework that reviews the role that death plays in the life of older persons as well as considering the particular losses associated with aging such as disease and dementia and specific strategies for grief counseling. Four Voices pieces offer personal narratives of loss.

Washington, DC: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854 3402

Disenfranchised Grief: New Directions, Challenges, and Strategies for Practice (2002)

Champaign, Ill.: Research Press

(800) 519-2707

This volume, edited by K. Doka offers the most current theoretical development and clinical practice in disenfranchised grief, a concept first presented by Doka in 1989. Sections include a theoretical overview. tool and techniques for clinical interventions, illustrations of practice, and implications for education and policy. The book includes a forward by Earl Grollman.

Disenfranchised Grief: New Directions, Challenges, and Strategies for Practice can be purchased online at www.researchpress.com.

Caregiving and Loss: Family Needs and Professional Responses, (2001)

Washington, D. C.: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854-3402

Edited by Doka and Joyce Davidson, this volume considers the needs of family caregivers Chapters describe the scope of caregiving, policy implications and explores the dimensions of loss experienced by caregivers. The book’s foreword is written by Roselyn Carter. The book includes chapters by family caregivers and descriptions of programs that can assist family caregivers.

Living With Grief: Children, Adolescents and Loss (2000)

Washington, D.C. The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854-3402

This book stresses interventive approaches and a strong theoretical analysis for understanding and assisting grieving children and adolescents. A unique part of the book is the inclusion of adolescent” voices” who directly discuss their experience of loss. The volume also includes a strong appendix and resource list and a foreword by Jack Gordon.

Men don’t Cry, Women Do: Transcending Gender Stereotypes on Grief. (2001)

Philadelphia: Brunner-Mazel

(800) 821-8312 Ext. 157

Written with T. Martin, this book analyses myths about gender and grief. The book explains the strengths and limitations of grieving styles that are related to but not determined by gender. Men Don’t Cry: Women Do includes a foreword by Dr. Therese A. Rando.

Living with Grief: At Work, At School, At Worship (1999)

Washington, D. C. The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854-3402

Edited by K. Doka and J. Davidson, with a foreword by Jack Gordon, Living with Grief: At Work, At School, At Worship investigates how where we grieve effects the grieving process. It offers concrete suggestions for workplaces, schools, churches and synagogues.

Older Adults with Developmental Disabilities (1999)

Amityville, New York; Baywood Publishing Co.

(800) 638-7819

C. Lavin and K. Doka discuss the aging of persons with developmental disabilities advocating for their needs as well as discussing programs, policies, and services to assist that population.

Living With Grief: Who We Are, How We Grieve (1998)

Washington, D. C.: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854-3402

K. Doka and J. Davidson in an edited book consider the ways that cultural factors influence the grieving process. A particularly strong aspect of the book is that the definition of culture is not limited to ethnicity. Other chapters consider cultures formed by shared spirituality’s, social class, or life experience. The book has a foreword by Jack Gordon.

AIDS, Fear and Society: Challenging the Dreaded Disease (1997)

Philadelphia, Brunner- Mazel

(800) 821- 8321 ext. 157

A sociological treatment of the AIDS epidemic, this volume explores the reasons that certain diseases create a sense of social dread that often leads to scapegoating persons with the disease and inhibits effective policy and treatment.

Living with Grief: When Illness Is Prolonged (1997)

Washington, D. C.: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854-3402

This edited volume considers the unique ways that prolonged illness complicates the grieving process. The book has a foreword by Jack Gordon.

Living with Grief: After Sudden Loss (1996)

Washington, D. C.: The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854-3402

In this edited volume, a series of experts explore the unique features that complicate sudden loss. The book reviews a variety of contents of sudden loss such as suicide, homicide, accidents and heart attacks. A strong section considers the way that government and media can facilitate or complicate grief.

Mourning Children, Children Mourning (1995)

Washington, D. C. The Hospice Foundation of America

(800) 854-3402

This edited book considers two issues – the grief of children and the grief over children. Included in the volume are significant recent studies that have contributed to our understanding of children’s grief.

Living With Life –Threatening Illness 1993)

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

(800) 956-7739

This book is written for previous family and professionals. It offers validation, understanding and assistance for individuals living with life-threatening illness.

Death and Spirituality (1993)

Amityville, New York: Baywood Publishing Co.

(800) 638-7819

Edited with the assistance of John Morgan. This volume considers the unique spiritual issues raised in life- threatening illness and grief.

Disenfranchised Grief: Recognizing Hidden Sorrow (1989)

Out of print

While this edited volume is now out of print, the concepts presented here, or the varieties of situations where loss is unacknowledged and grief unsupported are reviewed and further developed in Disenfranchised Grief: New Directions, Challenges and Strategies for Practice (2001).


Additional publications are listed in the Resume.