Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Michele – Expressive arts and healing grief

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

Jean – Coping

Jean shares how coping can be complicated

Jean – It’s all about love

Jean talks about losing her husband to a heart attack on valentines day

Madelyn – Advice to younger self

Madelyn discusses how having feelings is a gift and you can work through tough ones. There is hope.

Jenn – What does an art therapist do

Jenn explains how art therapist use the creative process to help people make positive changes to improve their overall health and to enhance their well being

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.

Maureen – “Your experience of loss is unique”

Maureen explains how your experience of grief is your own.

Christian – “Jeff’s Story”

Christian tells Jeff”s story… the good and his struggles.

Calls to Care, Calls to Action: Bearing Witness to Global Catastrophic Loss of Life and Traumatic Events

We bear witness to stories of mass loss of lives, stories of families in Gaza being forced from their land, loss of culture and traditions, and countless other ways systems of colonization and oppression can contribute to other non-death losses those who are directly affected currently and have historically faced. As we discussed in a previous article, we can also experience collective grief following natural disasters, accidents, international conflict, and acts of violence that have resulted in catastrophic loss of lives.

Jacqueline – How to help a grieving friend

Jacqueline discusses the power of just being there with someone in grief

Claudia – What do I do when my art is finished

Claudia explains some helpful tips after your art is finished

Carrie – Thanatology

Carrie explains how thanatolgy is the study of death dying grief and loss.