Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Madelyn – My story

Madelyn tells her story and how she became a music therapist working in palliative care

Maureen – “Grief is a messy non-linear place”

Maureen explains how you wind your way through grief and that is normal.

Adrianna – Triggers and the ball in the box analogy

Adrianna gives some great insights on how to deal with triggers

Amanda – “Reach out”

Amanda discusses the importance of connecting with others.

Carrie – Creating a photo narrative

Carrie explains how photography can give insight and express things that there reallhy aren’t words for. Photography can be one addtitional way in which to express and capture those moments of our sorrow, grief and pain as well as transformation and healing

Janice – “Grief is a response to loss”

Janice discusses waves of grief and how important it is to go with it.

Jenn – Barriers to art

Jenn talks about the barriers that may prevent someone from including art as part of their grief or emotional process including judgment of your art skills and more.

Keith – “Difference between grief and mourning”

Keith explains how grief is internal and mourning is external.

Caileigh – Working with children in grief

Caileigh shares why she likes working with and supporting children in grief. “Over the course of their lives, children and youth and families experience a lot of losses, and it’s an empowering job to empower others. I’m not only empowering them, but I’m also building parent capacity in recognizing that it does take a village and it takes a community to support a child.”

Claudia – Being stuck and art therapy

Claudia discusses remunating how art therapist can help create different positive perspectives

Cara – Intellectual disabilities and advance planning

Cara explains that people living with intellectual disabilities are growing to older ages, much like the rest of the population. And as folks are aging what we’re seeing is the need for families more so than ever, to do some advanced planning for who will take over any caregiving decision making or where that person may live, what sort of support they may need and what that’s going to look like after the parents or the guardians die so that this doesn’t become a crisis situation.

Jacqueline – Advice to Younger Self

Jacqueline talks about seeking help and being kind to yourself