Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Left Out: Enfranchising Children’s Grief and Loss

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.…

Cara – Grief and intellectual disabilities is a topic that needs to “get out there”

Cara shares some information from a participant in her research on intellectual disabilities and the bereaved. A person with an intellectual disability said… “Grief: It’s a topic that needs to get out there” Grief is something that so many people are hesitant to talk about, to display, to show, because there’s so many social rules around how we grieve. This is particularily challenging for the intellectually disabled.

Jean – Traditions and grief

Jean discusses belief systems and traditions

Maureen – “My miscarriages and attachment”

Maureen tells about her miscarriages, attachment and understanding why she felt so terrible.

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

Amanda – “Listening”

Amanda shares the importance of listening and being comfortable with silence.

Rev. Sky – “Weepies”

Rev. Sky talks about weepies, that they are OK and how to deal with them.

Maureen – “Our 20th Anniversary”

Maureen talks about she dealt with her miscarriages and how she felt after 20 years.

Jean – It’s all about love

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

Marija – Grieving Situational Losses in a Pandemic

Marija talks about feelings associated with grief and Covid

Coping with Guilt in Grief Playlist

Listen to the thoughts and insights of people and families living with grief.

Marija – The wilderness of grief

Marija discussed acknowedging all aspects of grief and living with grief.