Dr. Wallace Sife was a Korean War veteran, of which he was immensely proud. He completed a BA and MA degrees in English and Education at Brooklyn College, an MA and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from New York University, and another Ph.D. in Trans Cognitive Psychology and Speed Reading from the Union Institute in Cincinnati. He is the author of numerous books on widely varied subjects.
In response to Dr. Sife’s loss of his beloved dachshund, Edel Meister, in 1987, he wrote the award-winning The Loss of a Pet, which won the Maxwell award of the Dog Writers of America, and was cited as the best book on pets, for that year – it is in its fourth edition. His work is regularly cited in works on Pet Loss and Grief.
In 1992 Dr. Sife created and established a practical model for the stages of bereavement that were unique for pet loss – derived and modified from the stages created by Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross for human loss. This model is still used today by many.
APLB was formed as a non-profit in 1999. Together with a group of dedicated volunteers, they implemented, in the then, newly emerging field of pet loss and bereavement:
- One of the first free on-line Chat Rooms for bereaved pet parents held 6 times per week;
- Designed & implemented a unique internship program of instruction in on-line chats, providing trainees with free specialized instruction and supervised fieldwork;
- Designed, developed and implemented a ten-hour training program, providing continuing education credits, certified by NASW and the AAVSB, and delivered at the end of 8 APLB biennial conferences;
- It became a 5-week online training program, Pet Loss Grief Counselor, offered twice annually
- Developed a working model for Pet Loss Support Groups, providing free training and support to those interested in starting their own
Dr. Sife died in Brooklyn, New York, on April 8, 2020, from complications arising from the COVID19 virus. His pioneering efforts and contribution to the field of pet loss and grief support are invaluable. His desire was to leave an enduring legacy – one that would grow and remain a primary source of comfort and support to grieving pet parents and professionals in what has become a recognized field in its own right.
A favorite quote of his was, “We are all in the same lifeboat, together. And now we are all here for each other.”
Publications by Wallace Sife, Ph.D.
- Speedreading, Self-Taught, Self-Published: 1976
- Parallel Processing: Using the Whole Brain During Speed Reading and Spontaneous Sight Reading of Music: A Model of Bicameral Integration, Self-Published: 1977
- Self-Liberation from Test Anxiety (tape & record), Folkways: 1980
- Deep Relaxation, (tape), Self-published: 1984
- Extended Deep Relaxation, (tape), Self-published: 1990
- Modern Rubaiyat, Bristol Banner Books, Bristol, IN: 1991
- The Loss of a Pet, Howell Book House, New York: 1993.
- The Loss of a Pet: New Revised and Expanded, Howell Book House, New York: 1998.
- Stroke: Enhancing Quality of Life, Editor, Haworth Press, Binghamton, NY: 1998
- Translated to Italian: 2001
- The Loss of a Pet: Third Edition. Howell Book House, New York: 2005.
- The Loss of a Pet: Fourth Edition. Turner Publishers: New York: 2014.
- Translated to Hungarian, 2016
- Tales From the Sea Horse, Dog Ear Publications, Indianapolis, IN: 2016
- Modern Rubaiyat, Second Edition, Dog Ear Publications, Indianapolis, IN: 2016
Between 1998 and 2019 there were 89 individual essays by Dr. Sife on various aspects of pet loss and bereavement. New ones appeared in each quarterly edition of the newsletter of the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement: www.aplb.org
Creatures of the Universe: What is Life and Death?: A New Outlook and Synthesis of Interdisciplinary Sciences (6,870 words) Self published © Copyright 2016, Dr. Wallace Sife / ©Amended: Copyright 2019, Dr. Wallace Sife
2019 The Devil’s Mother Goose Self-Published
