Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Janice – “Crying”

Janice explains how crying helps physically and emotionally.

Kristal – Attending Memorials as a Support Worker

Kristal discusses the importance of finding ways to honour people that have been lost and how they have impacted you. She speaks to how she often chooses not to attend public memorials for those she has lost as a support worker as they are often very overwhelming. Instead, she has her own personal rituals or ways of honouring those she has lost personally including opening a window. She discusses how this practice was used when she worked in palliative care.

Janice – “Grief is a response to loss”

Janice discusses waves of grief and how important it is to go with it.

Jen – “Grief yoga”

Jen talks about how yoga may be beneficial.

Maureen – “Grief is a messy non-linear place”

Maureen explains how you wind your way through grief and that is normal.

Marija – Acknowledging feelings

Marija talks about our tools for coping

Corrie – Triggers

Corrie discuss the many types of triggers

Caileigh – Working with children in grief

Caileigh shares why she likes working with and supporting children in grief. “Over the course of their lives, children and youth and families experience a lot of losses, and it’s an empowering job to empower others. I’m not only empowering them, but I’m also building parent capacity in recognizing that it does take a village and it takes a community to support a child.”

Grief, Breastfeeding, and Care

In this essay, I share a bit about my story of grief and breastfeeding. I also share some thoughts about the cultural grief some people are carrying about the lack of support afforded to lactating families whose goal it is to feed their baby from their body. I use some gendered language throughout this essay…

Rev. Sky – “Feeling stuck”

Rev. Sky describes being stuck and shifting.

What Does Grief Support Look Like?

When we experience significant, on-going symptoms of grief that interfere with our adjustment to the reality of our loss, it can be time to seek professional help. It can be difficult to know where to find help and what grief support options are available.

Sara – Lyrics

Sara talks about how lyrics can have an impact on how we experience music