Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

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.

Maureen – “They are still your child”

Maureen explains how you find different ways of parenting.

Rev. Sky – “If you have experienced sudden loss”

Rev. Sky discusses things you can do to help navigate emotions.

Amanda – “It’s a gift to love someone”

Amanda talks about grief and it’s connection to love.

Rev. Sky – “Grief is a journey”

Rev. Sky talks about her personal loss and the positive changes that happen as we journey through grief.

Alongside

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.

Michele – Expressive arts and healing grief

Michele defines expressive arts and how they can help healing in grief

Janice – “Feelings”

Janice talks about the importance of allowing our feelings as that’s the only way to get through them.

Maureen – “Carrying grief”

Maureen gives an analogy of how hard it is to carry griefMaureen gives an analogy of how hard it is to carry grief.

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

Chantal – What is art therapy?

Chantal explains how art therapy helps us express in ways that words can’t

Jen – “Breathing and grief”

Jen talks about how breathing and yoga can help cope.