Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Jean – Grief resources and self care

Jean talks about resources that help in processing grief and self care

Jacqueline – Where to store art works

Jacqueline explains how art can be like journal entries that you would keep private

Claudia – Art in community versus art therapy

Claudia explains how art therapists are trained and how what they do is different that doing art in community

Michele – Expressive arts and healing grief

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

A Million Other Things: Grieving a Drug Poisoning Death

Sister, father, son, niece, best friend – some of these words might be how you would describe your loved one who has died of an overdose or drug poisoning. People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) are not defined by their substance use – they are a million other things to those who love and miss them dearly. Drug poisoning and overdose deaths are stigmatized in our society. The focus is on how the person died, not who they are. Society still holds onto old notions and beliefs about drugs which come with a value judgment about people who use drugs, which further contributes to stigma. Not everyone who uses drugs is an addict and not all drug use is inherently problematic. People who use drugs deserve dignity and respect when we are remembering and honouring those who have died by overdose or drug poisoning.

Shannon – Growing through Grief

Shannon discusses post traumatic growth and how it can be an expectation

Michele – Normalizing conversations around death dying grief and loss

Michele discusses grief literacy, the importance of talking and that dying is a part of life

Janice – “Grief is a response to loss”

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

Michele – Advice to younger grieving self

Michele tells what advice she would give to her younger grieving self

Keith – “Timeframe for grief”

Keith explains it is never too late to grieve and there is no timeline.

Adrianna – Triggers and the ball in the box analogy

Adrianna gives some great insights on how to deal with triggers

Jessica M – It’s OK not to cry

Jessica discusses how grief is individual and finding the way forward can be different for everyone.