Making Art From Memories: Honoring Deceased Loved Ones Through a Scrapbooking Bereavement Group

When loved ones die, family and friends treasure memories with photographs and mementos. Creating a memory book from these treasures provides a tangible means for healing from loss, celebrating life events, and preserving family stories and legacies. This article describes the history and current popularity of scrapbooking, and its therapeutic benefits in an art therapy bereavement group for grieving adults and their family members. Case vignettes illustrate how group members used the creative process and the product of a scrapbook to connect and share their emotional pain with supportive others, and to begin to accept loss through a meaningful organization of memories and life events.