Living in dual liminal states: Navigating the loss of my father and my clinical career during a pandemic

Abstract

Drawing from Van Gennep and Caffee’s conceptualization of liminality, this autoethnographic narrative portrays the author’s rites of passage into academia and through the death of her father. These fundamental developmental transitions and losses emerged concomitantly within the backdrop of a pandemic, further cloaking the world in grief and disequilibrium. Incorporating the voice of the personal as professional, the author portrays her existential struggles in relinquishing her cherished role as a palliative care social worker and living through her dad’s final months during a time of restricted social interaction. Interwoven throughout the narrative appear stories of strife, hope, grief, and professional epiphanies of purpose and insider privilege. The paper embraces both personal and professional conflicts and provides insight into the ways in which the unique setting of a pandemic can provide clarity for navigating the liminal states of separation, transition, and incorporation.