Real stories. Real grief. Restored belonging.
Through real stories, I help people honor grief and rediscover a sense of belonging.
The Five Widows Club supports psychology courses by offering a narrative lens on grief, loss, and identity change that complements empirical and diagnostic frameworks. Through story, students explore emotional responses to loss across the lifespan, meaning-making processes, and the psychological impact of trauma without relying on pathology-driven models.
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Social Work (BSW / MSW)
This text aligns well with social work education by centering ethical presence, cultural context, and relational care. The Five Widows Club helps students examine how grief intersects with systems, identity, and community, while encouraging reflection on professional boundaries and vicarious trauma.
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Counseling & Clinical Mental Health
For counseling and clinical mental health programs, the book offers a non-clinical, story-based exploration of grief that enhances narrative competence and understanding of group process. Students are invited to reflect on presence, listening, and the limits of treatment-driven approaches.
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Pastoral Care & Theology
This text is well-suited for pastoral formation, chaplaincy, and theological education, offering a narrative exploration of grief, presence, and meaning without a prescriptive theological framework. It invites students to reflect on accompaniment, silence, and faith amid loss.
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Sociology
The Five Widows Club supports sociological inquiry by examining grief through social structures, cultural norms, and relational roles. Students explore how gender, family systems, and community expectations shape responses to loss.
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Women’s & Gender Studies
The book aligns with women’s and gender studies by centering women’s lived experiences of loss, identity change, and resilience. It offers opportunities to examine how gender expectations, voice, and social roles shape grief.
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Military & Veteran Studies
The Five Widows Club is applicable in military and veteran studies by addressing loss within the context of service, transition, and family systems. The narrative approach supports reflection on compounded grief, peer support, and resilience.
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Education & Student Affairs
In education and student affairs programs, the book helps future professionals understand how grief affects learning, engagement, and retention. It supports trauma-informed approaches to student support while emphasizing ethical boundaries.
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Dr. Tina R. Fornwald partners with universities, seminaries, and professional programs to support grief literacy, ethical care, and reflective practice through story-centered engagement.
To request a desk copy, discuss course adoption, or invite Dr. Fornwald for a guest lecture, workshop, or campus conversation, please contact: