I Am A Professional

Alongside

February 8, 2023

That is also our best, and only role, when supporting a person with a developmental disability to grieve. We must be the one that comes alongside. There is no closer place we can get to. We must be present, be with, perhaps not understanding or comprehending what the person we support is experiencing, but alongside them nonetheless. We must be there, ready to provide whatever we can discover of their unique need in grief.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / I Am A Professional / I Am A Supporter / Supporting Others

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.

Collective/Community Grief / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Kristal – Story of Lived Experience

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses experiencing homelessness at multiple stages of her life and how that informs her work as a peer support worker. It gives her an understanding of the nuance that surrounds the community. She uses this experience to support people who are experiencing grief related to death from drug poisoning.

Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / My Story Video / Video

Caileigh – Recommendations as a therapist and a griever

February 22, 2023

Caileigh discussed two recommendations for parents on how to support their child’s grief. as a therapist and a griever. The first is to recognize that being with is far more important than fixing. There’s two pieces to connection. The first being that one of the most important healing aspects to grief is feeling connected to others.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Death of a Parent / I Am A Griever / I Am A Professional / Video

Jessica M – It’s OK not to cry

June 13, 2023

Jessica discusses how grief is individual and finding the way forward can be different for everyone.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / I Am A Professional / Video

Grief & Drug Poisoning Toolkit [Free Downloadable PDF]

August 29, 2024

  Navigating life, death, and loss can be overwhelming. This toolkit is designed by mental health professionals and contains information about grief, different types of grief we may experience, gentle reminders on how to move through grief, as well as tips for those who may be supporting someone in their life who is grieving. This…

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Griever / I Am A Professional / I Am A Supporter / Supporting Others / Toolkits

Nicole – Pandemic’s Effect on Grieving as a Community

March 25, 2023

Nicole discusses the ways the pandemic has affected the way people grieve as a community.

Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Death of A Loved One / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / Grief and Trauma / I Am A Griever / I Am A Professional / Video

Grief and Disability: Carrie’s Story

September 20, 2022

It has become clear to me over time that we have much work to do to ensure the delivery of disability-sensitive grief literacy and grief support. In March of 2022 my proposal for four 1-hour sessions was approved, we provided the program for 20 participants. My heart was full in each session.

My heart remains full of hope that conversations, education, and expertise about disability sensitive end of life care and grief support will gain momentum as more and more people join in on this vital conversation.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / Grief and Trauma / I Am A Professional / Supporting Others

Caileigh – Parent Capacity

February 23, 2023

Caileigh discusses parent capacity and and how to support their child through their grief is all about inspiring them and empowering them so that they can help their child.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / I Am A Professional / Supporting Others / Video

Craig – Supporting Someone in Grief

August 2, 2023

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Craig discusses his personal experience with grief and how he felt when people didn’t reach out to him during a difficult time. He offers advice on how to best support someone who is grieving, emphasizing the importance of simply showing up and letting them know that you care.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Death of A Loved One / Death of a Parent / I Am A Griever / I Am A Professional / Video

Grief and Parenting in the Disability Community

October 5, 2022

In this blog post, Carrie writes about being the parent and primary caregiver to a child with disabilities and grieving the loss of a child dying from their disabilities.

Blog Post / Death of a Child / Grief and Trauma / I Am A Griever / I Am A Professional / I Am A Supporter / Living with Dying / Supporting Others

Jessica M – A Parking Lot Memorial

June 13, 2023

Jessica shares how her family gathered after her uncle died during COVID and how her family came up with a creative way of getting together in a parking lot.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death of A Loved One / Death of a Parent / I Am A Griever / I Am A Professional / Video