Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Corrie – Talking to children about death and dying

Corrie explains how to discuss death and dying with children

Claudia – You do not have to be an artist to do art therapy

Claudia explains why you do not have to be an artist to benefit

Janice – “It’s never too late to grieve”

Janice talks about the importance of noticing feelings.

Christian – “Growth out of pain”

Christian tells about how grief changes and we grow.

Janice – “More to deal with than death when someone dies”

Janice explains that when somebody dies it’s not just the death that you are dealing with but the entire relationship.

Craig – How men process grief

Craig talks about his personal story of grief and how he learned to process his emotions in a healthy way. He discusses the challenges that men face when grieving, and offers advice on how to find healthy ways to cope with loss.Craig lost his wife, his mother, his job, and his home in a short period of time. He describes how he felt pressured to be stoic and strong for others, and how this made it difficult for him to grieve. He eventually realized that it was important to allow himself to feel his emotions, even the difficult ones.Craig shares some of the things that helped him to process his grief, such as talking to a therapist, writing in a journal, and spending time in nature. He also emphasizes the importance of finding support from friends and family. This video is a powerful and moving story of how one man found healing after experiencing a series of devastating losses. It is an important reminder that grief is a normal and healthy emotion, and that there are healthy ways to cope with it.

Caleigh – Play Session

Caileigh discusses child play sessions, how children can learn about confusing feelings of grief and ways to cope.

Tending to My Garden of Grief

So long as I remember the lives of those I have lost, honour their presence and impact on me and celebrate their spirit, they will continue to live with me and the pain will feel bearable. It will no longer stop me in my tracks. Instead, it will encourage me and propel me forward through the transmutation of that grief into something different, something more nuanced and fluid. I’d like to share a practice for processing grief which I have found to be especially helpful.

Janice – “Grief and the whole relationship”

Janice uses a personal story to talk about how loss can be related to the whole relationship not just the death.

Chantal – The benefits of the physical part of art making

Chantal talks about how art can release energy in a healthy cathartic way

Amanda – “Hospice”

Amanda talks about the comfort zone in palliative care.

Claudia – Taking your art home after art therapy

Claudia talks about why sometimes not to take your art home after therapy