Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

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.

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

Rev. Sky – “Wallowing”

Rev. Sky talks about how wallowing can help you release emotions and heal.

Claudia – Working with an art therapist

Claudia how all art making is theraputic and working with an art therapist amplifies the process in a positive way

Chantal – Anticipatory grief

Chantal defines antipatory grief and the grief before the physical loss

Maureen – Holiday Traditions

Maureen talks about anticipating a holiday and considering honouring a loved one

Amanda – “Reach out”

Amanda discusses the importance of connecting with others.

Corrie – Triggers

Corrie discuss the many types of triggers

Christian – “Jeff’s Story”

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

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.

Cheryl – “What is grief”

Cheryl defines grief and talks about how we all grieve differently.

Donna – “Helping a grieving friend”

Donna shares some practical ways to help someone in grief.