Video

Kristal – Professional Experience and Work

Kristal discusses being a peer support woker, working on a one on one level with community members to help them with their goals related to substance abuse. She supports those in the community dealing with loss and grief. She speaks to everyone’s experience with loss and grief being very individual.

Michael – “A story of loss and longing”

Michael relays a story of a man coping after the loss of his wife.

Sarah K – Trauma therapy

Sarah explains how she felt broken after her husband’s death to overdose and how grief therapy helped her untangle all the feelings that came from such an unexpected death

Kristal – Grieving the Whole Person

Kristal discusses the importance of recognizing and grieving the entire person who was lost – not just who they were before they had been using drugs.

Sam – My story

Sam tells his story and losing his father, uncle and cousin in a short period of time

Shawn – “Dad”

Shawn describes finding out his father died by suicide and the shock and grief that followed. Shawn continues to grieve the death of his father by suicide

Krista – “Changes”

Krista discussed what has changed since her son’s overdose. Krista continues to grieve the death of her son from opioid overdose.

Marija – Feeling Disenfranchised Grief in a Pandemic

Marija talks about disenfranchised grief and Covid

Caleigh – Play Therapy

Caileigh explains how play therapy, a form of psychotherapy can help children in grief. It is specifically used when working with children and families and youth because it’s developmentally appropriate. They are never expected to sit down and to talk. And it is through the language of play that they’re able to learn about the confusing feelings of grief. They are able to learn new skills to cope with their grief, and they’re able to go at their own pace.

Jean – My Story

Jean talks about isolation and grieving during a pandemic

Zoreena – Burnout and counseling

Zoreena talks about her father’s decline in a nursing home during COVID

Shannon – Guilt vs Shame

Shannon talks about guilt can be a part of the grieving process but shame has to do with “is there something wrong with me”