Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Rev. Sky – “What is grief?”

Rev. Sky talks about the universality of grief and how people grieve differently.

Madelyn – Expressing your feelings

Madelyn talks about being a 2nd generation Canadian chinese and keeping grief in. She explains the importnace of expressing your feelings and not feel guilty about it

Cara – Intellectual disabilities, sharing and expressing about grief

Cara discusses how it’s very important that people living with intellectual disabilities have the opportunity to not only know about the information about the person being ill and dying and having the choice and opportunity to go to after death rituals. It’s also really important that they get the opportunity to share their story in whatever way they communicate. This can be verbally through sign language, through communication books, art, music, going for walks, being in nature

Jacqueline – Advice to Younger Self

Jacqueline talks about seeking help and being kind to yourself

Janice – “The importance of listening”

Janice explains the importance of not being judgemental and listening when helping someone is in grief.

Caileigh – Sharing grief experience to spread hope and kindness

Caileigh talks about taking the opportunity to share her personal and professional grief experiences as a way to spread hope and to spread kindness.

Cara – The real issues for grieving people with intellectual disabilities

Cara provides some context for the real issue of grief in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and those supporting them, including that we consider that there’s not a lot of education or information out there about how best to support someone with an intellectual disability who is grieving.

Jenn – Art can give voice

Jenn talks about the barriers that may prevent someone from including art as part of their grief or emotional process including judgment of your art skills and more.

Claudia – Materials in art therapy

Claudia discusses all of the wonderful options of materials to use in art therapy. Art, markers, clay, pencils, water collours, cutting, tearing. They physical engagment with the materials is like alchemy.

Claudia – Waterlillies

Claudia talks about how she painted on panels big enough to hug to help her with her grief

Jean – Helping your children through grief

Jean discusses how helping her children through grief also helped her

Sara – Listening to music

Sara discusses how listening to music can help navigate loss