DEALING WITH GRIEF: The School of Professional Studies will present Dr. Marianne Bette to discuss “Dealing with Grief” at 4 p.m. in the Student Center Theater on the Midtown campus.

Bette is a retired 40+-year family physician from Southbury who has suffered profound losses in her life and has counseled grieving patients throughout her medical career. She has written two books on loss and grieving: “Living with a Dead Man: A Story of Love,” that chronicles her first husband’s battle with cancer, and her current book, “Living with a Grieving Heart: Thoughts from a Grief Warrior,” a personal story of her transformative journey from heartbreak to gratitude and how she reclaimed the exuberance of life.

Dr. Joan Palladino, Dean of WestConn’s School of Professional Studies, invited Bette to speak to students and the larger community.

“We are having Dr. Bette come and talk about dealing with grief because it is important to learn how to deal with it,” Palladino said. The professions in our School of Professional Studies — Nursing, Social Work and Criminal Justice — experience grief in their jobs on a regular basis. They not only have to help others deal with a loss, but also have to find ways to manage grief on the job within their own lives.”

Bette was a clinical professor at the University of Connecticut for 25 years, lecturing medical students, nurses, practitioners and residents; presented at Grand Rounds at UCONN Medical Center where she addressed family medicine residents and faculty; and has spoken at various American Academy of Family Physicians conferences in the United States. Her article, “Navigating Grief and Finding Calm Amidst the Storm,” has been published in various state American Academy of Family Physicians health journals. She also has appeared on local news shows, recorded numerous podcasts, and spoken at libraries, community centers, churches, and grief groups to share her story and knowledge with a wider audience to help others understand and navigate the grieving process and embrace life again. Through her professional career and her personal losses, Bette inspires others with her extraordinary insight and encouragement in placing an emphasis on LIVING to help them move forward in finding happiness and fulfillment after loss.”