The Meaning of Tisha B’Av

Nicole – Using Art and Creativity to Express Grief

March 25, 2023

Nicole discusses the work she does to allow access to creative outlets such as art hives and gardening.

Nicole – Pandemic Leads to Increase in Drug Poisoning

March 25, 2023

Nicole discusses the increase in drug poisonings during the pandemic due to a number of factors.

Nicole – Advice for Other Professionals Managing Grief

March 25, 2023

Nicole discusses dealing with repeated loss while working in community outreach, not being afraid to be human.

Nicole – Pandemic’s Effect on Safe Spaces and Mental Health Access

March 25, 2023

Nicole discusses how the pandemic affected access to safe spaces and shelters for those living rough and living with addiction.

Christian – “Remembering together in a meaningful way”

October 1, 2019

Christian discusses the power of memories.

Thoughts on International Overdose Awareness Day 2023

August 30, 2023

We lead multifaceted lives, and the deaths of those we love who have died by drug poisoning contain multitudes. The death of a loved one can bring intense grief, shock, anger, shame, or guilt. People who use drugs, and those who love them that they leave behind, face stigma in North America’s dominant, settler culture.

Michele – Normalizing conversations around death dying grief and loss

March 14, 2022

Michele discusses grief literacy, the importance of talking and that dying is a part of life

Keith – “We need one another”

December 10, 2018

Keith talks about the importance of story, understanding our journey and how we are connected.

Calls to Care, Calls to Action: Bearing Witness to Global Catastrophic Loss of Life and Traumatic Events

December 6, 2023

We bear witness to stories of mass loss of lives, stories of families in Gaza being forced from their land, loss of culture and traditions, and countless other ways systems of colonization and oppression can contribute to other non-death losses those who are directly affected currently and have historically faced. As we discussed in a previous article, we can also experience collective grief following natural disasters, accidents, international conflict, and acts of violence that have resulted in catastrophic loss of lives.

Ripples of Grief: Supporting Ourselves, Others, and our Communities After a Death

June 21, 2023

By Jessica Milette, MSW, RSW When death knocks on the door of a community, each of us are impacted. Sometimes a death will touch many lives across a community, whether people knew the deceased personally or not. We may grieve the death of a family member, friend, or acquaintance, a well-known community member, or someone…

Kristal – Drug Poisoning During Pandemic Stigma

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses how the pandemic has created additional stigma surrounding those who use drugs. She dissuses how it seems like some losses are treated as more deserving of being mourned than others. Many people have had to grieve privately instead of publically within a community. She touches on the state of the public health system during the pandemic.