I Am A Professional

Caileigh – Sharing grief experience to spread hope and kindness

February 23, 2023

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

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

Grief and Disability: Carrie’s Story

September 20, 2022

It has become clear to me over time that we have much work to do to ensure the delivery of disability-sensitive grief literacy and grief support. In March of 2022 my proposal for four 1-hour sessions was approved, we provided the program for 20 participants. My heart was full in each session.

My heart remains full of hope that conversations, education, and expertise about disability sensitive end of life care and grief support will gain momentum as more and more people join in on this vital conversation.

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

Caileigh – A safe place to grow and heal

February 23, 2023

Caileigh talks about how accessing play therapy can support everybody. When children have that safe place to heal, everybody around them feels good and can heal, too.

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

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 – Story of Lived Experience

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses experiencing homelessness at multiple stages of her life and how that informs her work as a peer support worker. It gives her an understanding of the nuance that surrounds the community. She uses this experience to support people who are experiencing grief related to death from drug poisoning.

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

Kristal – Poetry, Comedy, & Art for Grieving

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses using poetry and other forms of creative expression as a distraction from her grief and to disassociate in a safe and productive way. She discusses grief being love with nowhere to go, so she puts it into art.

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

Christian – Grieving the whole person

April 23, 2023

Christian talks about how we choose remember people when there has been a loss to drug poisoning

Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Caleigh – Play Session

February 22, 2023

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

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / I Am A Professional / Video

There One Day and Gone the Next : Art Therapy and Grief

December 2, 2022

This blog post contains information about using art therapy to process grief, including specific examples.

Art / Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / I Am A Professional / Supporting Others

Caleigh – Play Therapy

February 22, 2023

Caileigh explains how play therapy, a form of psychotherapy can help children in grief. It is specifically used when working with children and families and youth because it’s developmentally appropriate. They are never expected to sit down and to talk. And it is through the language of play that they’re able to learn about the confusing feelings of grief. They are able to learn new skills to cope with their grief, and they’re able to go at their own pace.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / I Am A Professional / Video

Caileigh – My own grief and supporting others

February 23, 2023

Caileigh tells about her own grief and now it has given her a really powerful lens on how to support children going through grief as well. Along with her professional education and training, there is now a different perspective on grief and how that fits in with supporting others.

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