Living in the Liminal Space

What happens when a person is gone, but not lost—when grief takes hold without the certainty of death? Living in the Liminal Space explores this profound emotional terrain, where families and communities exist between hope and despair, struggling to find meaning amid ambiguity.

Drawing on more than 25 years of research and practice, Professor Sarah Wayland brings together her experiences working with families of missing people in Australia and internationally. Through a powerful blend of lived experience, academic insight, and compassion, she offers a framework for understanding and supporting those navigating unresolved loss. Extending the foundational work of Pauline Boss and integrating social theories of hope, loss, and uncertainty, this book challenges social workers, counsellors, psychologists, and therapists to view “living grief” not as paralysis, but as a space where resilience and connection can flourish.

This book is essential reading for students and practitioners in social work, counselling, psychology, sociology, and community services, as well as organisations offering postgraduate or professional programs in grief, loss, and trauma support.

• Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Abstract
• Content warning
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Introduction: The learnt experience of ambiguity
  • The first exposure to loss
  • Beginning the journey of learning
• 1 What is ambiguity in the context of loss?
  • How does liminality and liminal spaces engage with uncertainty?
  • How do we prepare ourselves to work and live in liminal spaces?
  • How does hope feature in the ways to support uncertain losses?
  • What is hope theory and how is it conceptualised?
  • Hope in a bereavement context
  • Liminal spaces, social constructions and loss
    • So how does this social construction of what we are allowed to grieve and not grieve shape ambiguity?
• 2 Preparedness to step in
  • How does community impact awareness of liminal spaces?
  • What’s the inner work that you need to do on yourself to be comfortable in those liminal spaces?
  • Consider the socio-cultural lens that you bring to your work
  • Learn by doing
    • Be open to multiple truths
  • Tolerating uncertainty, developing resilience and not shying away from the deficits of the human experience
  • Being alert to vicarious impacts of the work
• 3 Case studies for reflection
  • Case study one: Ambiguity and incarceration
  • I can’t reach back in; he can only reach out – the ambiguous loss of a family member into the justice system
    • The 10-minute touchpoint
    • Disengaging from the spectators
    • Sometimes you just need one stranger to help you
    • What does this mean on a larger scale?
  • Case study two: Missing and homicide
  • Trying to out-think what happened: The unresolved loss of a missing, murdered mum
    • Contextualising the case study
  • Case study three: Forced adoption and liminality
  • Greeks do not say, ‘I miss you’ – they say, ‘You are missing from me’
    • Contextualising the case study
  • Case study four: Suicide attempt and the space in between
  • ‘Just keep an eye on them’: The liminal space between relationships and surveillance for families with a loved one who attempts suicide
    • Contextualising the case study
• 4 Leaning in: How to teach about liminal spaces
  • Reflection on teaching uncertainty: Voluntary assisted dying and the role of the social worker
  • Ambiguity in the discipline of psychology, counselling and psychotherapy
  • Ambiguity in the discipline of social work
  • Embedding ambiguity and loss into your curriculum or continuing professional development
    • What are the support needs and family experiences
    • Political, collective and cultural dimensions of grief
  • Curriculum and teaching recommendations
• Conclusion
• References
• Appendices: Teaching resources
  • Assessment exemplar for case study one
  • Assessment exemplar for case study two
  • Assessment exemplar for case study three
  • Assessment exemplar for case study four
• Index

Professor Sarah Wayland is an internationally recognised social work academic and researcher whose work focuses on grief, ambiguous loss, suicide prevention, and the psychosocial impacts of missing persons. She is a national leader in research addressing the experiences of families living with the uncertainty of a missing loved one, including refugees and people affected by forced migration, disaster, and complex trauma.

Professor Wayland’s research bridges theory, policy, and practice, with a strong emphasis on lived-experience informed approaches and trauma-responsive service delivery. Her scholarship draws heavily on the theory of ambiguous loss, disenfranchised grief, and socio-ecological frameworks to understand how individuals and communities navigate prolonged uncertainty, hope, and despair. She has worked extensively with police agencies, mental health services, community organisations, and international partners to develop guidance, education resources, and interventions that improve responses to families experiencing unresolved loss. A core feature of Professor Wayland’s work is knowledge translation — ensuring research findings are accessible and usable for practitioners. She has developed training programs, counselling frameworks, and professional education resources used across health, social work, and community sectors. Her work has informed national conversations on suicide prevention, missing persons policy, and trauma-informed care.

Professor Wayland is also deeply committed to workforce development and practitioner wellbeing, recognising the emotional demands placed on clinicians working with chronic uncertainty and trauma. She regularly delivers professional development masterclasses internationally, supporting clinicians to build confidence in working with complex grief and ambiguous loss.

Her teaching and research emphasise compassionate, culturally responsive practice that honours both hopefulness and hopelessness — particularly for people where someone is missing.