Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Michele – Expressive arts and healing grief

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

Maureen – “Milestones and anniversaries”

Maureen talks about loss and what happens over time.

Carrie – Validation

Carrie talks about validation and feeling that someone is full responsive and fully present to you and what is going on in your grief… feeling “felt”

Donna – “Living with grief”

Donna talks about the threads of grief and her personal experience.

Madelyn – Accept what you are feeling

Madelyn talks about how it’s ok to not be ok.

Thoughts on International Overdose Awareness Day 2023

We lead multifaceted lives, and the deaths of those we love who have died by drug poisoning contain multitudes. The death of a loved one can bring intense grief, shock, anger, shame, or guilt. People who use drugs, and those who love them that they leave behind, face stigma in North America’s dominant, settler culture.

Maureen – “Peer vs professional support”

Maureen talks about getting help and what is right for you.

Jacqueline – Advice to Younger Self

Jacqueline talks about seeking help and being kind to yourself

Cara – The real issues for grieving people with intellectual disabilities

Cara provides some context for the real issue of grief in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and those supporting them, including that we consider that there’s not a lot of education or information out there about how best to support someone with an intellectual disability who is grieving.

Caileigh – Through play children learn so much about their grief

Caileigh discussed how children learn so much about their grief through play. There’s less confusion, there’s less anxiety, there’s more awareness. For the child and the parent, there is more acceptance of grief.

Jacqueline – Crying

Jacqueline talks about how grief is love and how crying is natural

Corrie – Talking to children about death and dying

Corrie explains how to discuss death and dying with children