I Am A Professional

Jessica M – Finding Hope

June 13, 2023

Jessica shares memories of her brothers birthday which was just before her mothers death and how they all found hope

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

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

Jessica M – My Story

June 13, 2023

Jessica talks about losing her grandfather at 14 when her mother was terminal, her mother and aunt died when she was 15. She felt alone until she found a peer support group

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

Kristal – Harm Reduction

April 23, 2023

Kristal speaks to the importance of harm reduction and how it can save lives. She discusses how accessing harm reduction leads to the creation of connections with community support. It allows community outreach members to connect with community members and get to know them, and to know to look for them if they don’t see them when they usually do.

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

Christian – Denial and grieving

April 23, 2023

Christian discusses what happens after members of the community die from drug poisoning and how it’s OK for grief to be messy

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

Left Out: Enfranchising Children’s Grief and Loss

August 13, 2025

By: Jessica Milette, MSW, RSW All human beings have the capacity to grieve: people with intellectual disabilities, those living with a traumatic brain injury, and children of all ages. However, many people can experience disenfranchised grief when someone dies. Disenfranchised grief is generally grief that is not usually openly acknowledged, socially accepted or publicly mourned.…

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

Caileigh – Wanting to fix a grieving child

February 23, 2023

Caileigh gives advice about the desire to fix, especially to parents who are grieving themselves as well as supporting children who are grieving.

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

The Reflection Room® project: How storytelling supports processing grief

March 17, 2023

The Reflection Room project is an evidence-based participatory art installation that was developed by researchers at the SE Research Centre and Memorial University in 2016. The project included a research component that evaluated the impact of Reflection Rooms as the project adapted over time to address changing needs.

Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Death During Service / Death of A Loved One / I Am A Griever / I Am A Professional

Grief Busting Zine [Downloadable!]

December 23, 2023

This zine 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.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief / I Am A Griever / I Am A Professional / I Am A Supporter

Kristal – Anger with Grief

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses finding ways to channel her anger due to poor policy leading to deaths from drug poisoning and those individuals not having the support they needed. She discusses how human beings have the right to be flawed and should have the ability to grow, heal, and change.

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

Kristal – Activism To Ease Anger and Grief

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses using activism to help ease or channel her anger from the loss of those in her community to drug poisoning. She talks about her grief being very quiet and inward before, but that taking action helps her to move through it. She discusses how there may not be peace from these losses, but the goal should rather be feeling safe in the emotions.

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

Kristal – Grieving the Whole Person

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses the importance of recognizing and grieving the entire person who was lost – not just who they were before they had been using drugs.

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