Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Keith – “Hope”

Keith talks about time, healing and hope.

Maureen – “Grief can change the landscape of your relationships”

Maureen discusses how relationships can be challenged by grief.

Caileigh – A safe place to grow and heal

Caileigh talks about how accessing play therapy can support everybody. When children have that safe place to heal, everybody around them feels good and can heal, too.

Sara – Listening to music

Sara discusses how listening to music can help navigate loss

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.

Community Grief Toolkit [Downloadable!]

This toolkit also reflects on how we support grief in the community. The tools to come together and honour our collective experiences and how to build the resources for further support.

Maureen – Holiday kindness and grief

Maureen discusses grieving during the holidays and being lifter up by kindness

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

Maureen – “Carrying grief”

Maureen gives an analogy of how hard it is to carry griefMaureen gives an analogy of how hard it is to carry grief.

Jen – “Breathing and grief”

Jen talks about how breathing and yoga can help cope.

Jacqueline – Humour

Jacqueline talks about how huour has a place in grieving

Michele – Covid and virtual support

MIchele discuss support and how COVID has affected our grief in so many waysort