“I Want You to Be There.”: Accompanying a Client Through a Death

“Hey Kevin? My mom has had a stroke and is in the hospital. It’s really bad this time.” My client’s voice quivered, and I could hear fear rippling through it. After asking a series of preliminary questions, I closed my computer and headed to the car to drive to the hospital. It had been, until that moment, a free afternoon of writing and grading assignments. I pushed aside the nagging voice listing all the things that would not get done and focused instead on my client and his mother.