Podcast appearances and mentions of alan wolfelt

On this week's episode, we're talking with Connie Harrington about the Murder-Suicide Loss Network, the power of community support when grieving and healing, and what it means to tell our own stories.   Connie Harrington is a content strategist, mom of two, and a survivor of murder-suicide loss. She is on the leadership team of Triumph over Trauma: Northern Shenandoah Valley Resilience Initiative and on the board of the Murder-Suicide Loss Network.   Referenced Resources: Murder-Suicide Loss Network: https://www.mslnetwork.org/ My Grief Connection: https://www.mygriefconnection.org/ David Kessler's Work: https://grief.com/ Dr. Alan Wolfelt's Work: https://www.centerforloss.com/ TAPS: https://www.taps.org/ The Perversion of Virtue by Thomas Joiner (book)   Topics discussed in this episode include suicide and homicide. It may be difficult for some listeners. Help is always available- The suicide and crisis lifeline can be reached by texting or calling 988.   The views and opinions expressed on Awareness 2 Action are those of the guests and host and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Prevention Department or Northwestern Community Services.

Send us some LOVE!Facing the decision of what to do with a loved one's ashes can be an emotional and daunting task. I found myself in this position with my late husband Tom's ashes sitting on a shelf for years. Our episode today features David Perotto from Bartolomeo and Perotto Funeral Homes, who shares a wealth of knowledge about the various options available for managing ashes—from traditional cemetery placements to unique ocean ceremonies. As families become more spread out, these decisions carry significant weight, and David emphasizes that some choices, such as scattering ashes, are irreversible and must be carefully considered.Planning ahead for end-of-life arrangements can be a gift to both yourself and your loved ones. We discuss the emotional and logistical benefits of pre-planning funerals, including insights from experts like Dr. Alan Wolfelt in grief recovery. By reflecting on our legacy and pre-planning, we can enrich the commemorative experience with personal touches, like sharing memoirs, and foster a supportive community of shared experiences. Contact:www.asiliveandgrieve.cominfo@asiliveandgrieve.comFacebook:  As I Live and GrieveInstagram:  @asiliveandgrieveYouTube:  asiliveandgrieveTikTok: @asiliveandgrieveTo Reach David:Email:  david@bartolomeo.comWebsite:  https://www.bartolomeo.com Credits: Music by Kevin MacLeod Support the showCopyright 2020, by As I Live and GrieveThe views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.

In this episode of The Lost Child Podcast, we sit down with Juli, the cofounder of Billy's Place, a peer-led grief support group for families based in Phoenix (West Valley). Billy's Place offers a safe space for those dealing with loss—whether from the death of a child, sibling, parent, grandparent, or friend. Through various group nights, including kids' nights, teen nights, and adult-only groups, Billy's Place helps families cope with grief in a community setting, where individuals can share their experiences and find comfort. Juli shares her personal journey of creating this vital nonprofit after the loss of her husband and son Billy's father, and how she brought the peer support group model to Arizona. Billy's Place has grown over the years and now even provides grief training in schools to support children who have experienced loss. In this episode, Juli discusses the impact of their work, the power of community in healing, and how you can get involved. If you are struggling with grief, loss, or the death of a loved one, this episode is a valuable resource. Learn about the incredible work of Billy's Place and the support they offer to families in need. Support The Lost Child Podcast: If you enjoy this podcast and want to help us continue spreading these stories of hope and healing, please consider supporting us through our Patreon account. Your contribution helps us bring more powerful interviews and resources to those navigating grief. Support The Pod on Patreon For more information on Billy's Place and the support they offer, visit their website. Resources Used in this Podcast: Dr. Alan Wolfelt info Podcast with Harvard professor Arthur Brooks and John Delony

Keywords: miscarriage, grief, loss, holidays, grieving rituals, perinatal trauma. How do we cope with the profound pain of miscarriage and loss during a season often associated with joy and togetherness? Why does the holiday season intensify our grief, and how can we navigate cultural expectations that demand we put on a brave face? In this heartfelt episode, Justine Leach and Sarah Adelmann delve into the deeply personal and often unspoken experience of miscarriage, loss, and trauma, especially as they intersect with the holiday season. Justine opens the conversation with a poignant quote by Zeynep Gurtin, "A moment that changed me: My miscarriages were devastating – but an orca gave me comfort and hope", setting the tone for an in-depth discussion on the unique challenges of grieving during a time traditionally filled with celebration. They explore why grief feels particularly acute during the holidays and the societal pressures to appear cheerful despite personal sorrow. The discussion highlights the importance of acknowledging and honoring one's loss, the role of rituals in the grieving process, and the often-overlooked grief for the loss of an imagined future. By addressing losses that are not always recognized by society, Justine and Sarah emphasize the need for supportive spaces where individuals can authentically express their grief. This episode underscores the significance of allowing oneself to fully experience and process grief and the critical role of community and support during such times. At the end Sarah mentions the book Healing Your Grieving Heart After Miscarriage: 100 Practical Ideas for Parents and Families by Alan Wolfelt. We are hosting a FREE training on Trauma and the Perinatal Journey on Dec 2 at 9am EST live on Zoom. The training will be recorded so he hope you will still sign up even if the time does not work for you: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/pl/2148550678 Takeaways Recognition of Miscarriage: Miscarriage is often not acknowledged as a significant loss by society, leaving those affected feeling isolated and unsupported. Cultural Expectations: Societal norms and expectations during the holiday season can place additional stress on those who are grieving, making it harder for them to cope. The Role of Rituals: Rituals can serve as a powerful means to honor loss and facilitate the healing process, providing a sense of structure and solace. Varied Manifestations of Grief: Grief is not limited to the loss of life; it also encompasses lost futures and unfulfilled dreams, which can be equally painful and deserving of recognition. Importance of Support: Support from friends, family, and the community is crucial for those experiencing loss. However, it is often insufficient, highlighting the need for more compassionate and consistent support systems. Challenges of the Holiday Season: Acknowledging the emotional toll of trying to "show up" and participate in holiday festivities while grieving is important for understanding the full impact of loss during this time. Self-Reflection for Better Support: Engaging in self-reflection to understand one's own feelings about loss and grief is vital. This awareness can enhance the ability to provide meaningful support to others, including clients. On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma across the perinatal period, from trying-to-conceive to pregnancy, from childbirth to postpartum and parenting. Through an inspirational quote that drives our weekly conversations about trauma and healing, Justine and Sarah explore topics such as birth trauma, parenting as a survivor, and finding healing with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals. Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic. Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience. Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Hi, it's Jen. Today, I'm exploring a topic often skirted in society: grief. Reflecting on my mom's passing almost five years ago brings this issue to light. Her recent 75th birthday would have been a reminder of her love, especially during my struggles with ADHD.   Lately, I've noticed many around me grappling with significant losses, making grief feel heavier. Emotions like disbelief, sadness, and bargaining are part of the messy grieving process. Active mourning, described by grief expert Alan Wolfelt, involves feeling and working through these emotions. As I navigate my own grief journey, I'm learning to embrace its complexities and find solace in shared experiences. Grief isn't something to rush through; it's a personal journey that requires acknowledgment and compassion, both for ourselves and others.   Correction:  In the podcast I mistakenly referred to David Kessler as Steven Kessler.   If you're not already, be sure to follow and share! Follow me on social media! Instagram:  @i_am_jen_barnes TikTok: @i_am_jen_barnes   DISCLAIMER:  This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal health or medical advice.  We are not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. This podcast is not intended to replace professional medical advice or psychotherapy.   If you are experiencing a medical or mental health emergency please contact emergency services in your area.  If you are in the USA, dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis line or 911 for a medical emergency.    

In this minisode, Lisa Baue, Your Funeral Coach, discusses setting realistic and achievable goals in 2024, focusing on young professionals in deathcare and funeral service. She emphasizes the importance of SMART goals and offers practical advice on meditation, mindfulness, and self-care, drawing insights from Dr. Alan Wolfelt's works. Additionally, Lisa touches on gratitude journaling and self-confidence, providing tips for personal and professional growth. This episode is a blend of practical goal-setting strategies and self-care practices, tailored for those in the demanding field of funeral service.

Michael was an incredibly hard worker—he followed in his dad's footsteps and worked for the railroad. He never said, “no”, was so tender hearted, and silly. His sisters, Courtney and Hattie, cope with his passing from an overdose in July 2022 through humor, closeness, and strength. By telling their brother's story, they strive to advocate for family and friends in mourning who may feel shame or that their loved one's death didn't matter because of the stigma of addiction. Courtney recommends reading, “Understanding Your Grief after a Drug-Overdose Death,” by Alan Wolfelt, PhD.

Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge talks about how to heal from grief. This is part 2 of 2. Episode 1756: [Part 2] Healing From Grief: How Does One Do It? by Reid Peterson Grief Refuge experiences are facilitated by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy; with an emphasis on presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered-care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. The Grief Refuge app is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey.  The original post can be found here: https://medium.com/wholistique/healing-from-grief-how-does-one-do-it-7fd279e80e76 Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge talks about how to heal from grief. This is part 1 of 2. Episode 1755: [Part 1] Healing From Grief: How Does One Do It? by Reid Peterson Grief Refuge experiences are facilitated by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy; with an emphasis on presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered-care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. The Grief Refuge app is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey.  The original post can be found here: https://medium.com/wholistique/healing-from-grief-how-does-one-do-it-7fd279e80e76 Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge talks about finding hope when grief feels hopeless. This is part 2 of 2. Episode 1688: [Part 2] Finding Hope When Grief Feels Hopeless by Reid Peterson Grief Refuge experiences are facilitated by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy; with an emphasis on presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered-care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. The Grief Refuge app is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey.  The original post can be found here: https://griefrefuge.medium.com/finding-hope-when-grief-feels-hopeless-63e5780089ea Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge talks about finding hope when grief feels hopeless. This is part 1 of 2. Episode 1687: [Part 1] Finding Hope When Grief Feels Hopeless by Reid Peterson Grief Refuge experiences are facilitated by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy; with an emphasis on presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered-care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. The Grief Refuge app is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey.  The original post can be found here: https://griefrefuge.medium.com/finding-hope-when-grief-feels-hopeless-63e5780089ea Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge talks about how goals and intentions help with grief. This is part 2 of 2. Episode 1588: [Part 2] How Goals and Intentions Help With Grief by Reid Peterson Grief Refuge experiences are facilitated by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy; with an emphasis on presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered-care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. The Grief Refuge app is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey.  The original post can be found here: https://griefrefuge.medium.com/how-goals-and-intentions-help-with-grief-81abeafd805d  Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge talks about how goals and intentions help with grief. This is part 1 of 2. Episode 1587: [Part 1] How Goals and Intentions Help With Grief by Reid Peterson Grief Refuge experiences are facilitated by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy; with an emphasis on presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered-care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. The Grief Refuge app is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey.  The original post can be found here: https://griefrefuge.medium.com/how-goals-and-intentions-help-with-grief-81abeafd805d  Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

UCS Grief Outreach Intern, Meg Baker, discusses the 6 Needs of the Mourner from the book "Understanding Your Grief" by Dr. Alan Wolfelt.

Coleen Ellis understands and appreciates the depth of love pet guardians have for their companion animals. She's felt it many times over. Her dogs, her fur kids, are her world and as each one leaves her physical world she finds ways thoughtful, impactful ways to honor the lives they lived here on Earth with her. Coleen started the nation's first stand-alone pet funeral home, Pet Angel Memorial Center, which now has locations across the Midwest, southeast and Carolinas. Coleen also recently released her first book, Pet Parents: A Journey Through Unconditional Love and Grief. She also operates Two Hearts Pet Loss Center, an online resource for pet professionals to learn more about the grief journey pet parents endure. I am a certified pet loss grief companion under Two Hearts Pet Loss Center. She is a student herself of Dr. Alan Wolfelt, who teaches that people in grief need a companion, someone to listen and be present, rather than treatment. Because we are not broken. We simply need others to witness our pain and loss, and support us on our new paths. Coleen is an incredibly engaging, dynamic interview and I am so proud to have my teacher, my mentor and my friend on the podcast today to talk about the ways we can keep our best fur friends alive in our hearts and in our stories. And with that, we talk about how to make those final days with your pet peaceful, empowering and memorable. Have a listen. It is a long one but Coleen gives us so much great information and advice. What to listen for: 8:56: What will you do right now to make the end perfect? 11:30: The rules for pet loss are written by the 30% who don't get it. 31:24: How we can honor the memories of our pets through art. 43:05: Making the decision to attend -- or not -- your pet's euthanasia Find Coleen: Two Hearts Pet Loss Center Pet Angel Memorial Center Buy her book on Amazon: Pet Parents: A Journey Through Unconditional Love and Grief --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/onelastnetwork/message

Susan, your host, welcomes Coleen Ellis to today's episode. Coleen faced the death of her pet in 1998 and that moment changed her forever. It was the beginning of her vision of how to best meet the needs of pet parents in their desire to mourn, memorialize, and pay tribute to their beloved pets when they die. In 2003, the experience of the death of her dog, Mico, guided her in starting the nation's first stand-alone pets-only funeral home, Pet Angel Memorial Center. In 2009, Coleen founded Two Hearts Pet Loss Center, to guide people who wish to provide meaningful pet death care services in their communities, as well as to be an educational resource in the pet grief discipline. In 2009, she received the first Death and Grief Studies Certification specializing in Pet Loss Companioning by Dr. Alan Wolfelt as well as releasing her first book, Pet Parents: A Journey Through Unconditional Love and Grief. Her second book co-authored with colleague Dr. Mary Gardner, Forever Friend, released in 2022. She is Certified in Thanatology and is a Certified Pet Loss Professional.   By 2014, Coleen was ready to take her vision to a new level. She was a co-founder of The Pet Loss Center and assisted the company in opening pet loss operations across the United States, with this operation being acquired by a national acquisition company in 2020.   Coleen is an internationally sought-after speaker on the topics of pet loss and grief. Through her delivery style, pet care professionals learn a variety of techniques immediately applicable to implement on how to companion families in their grief journey. Furthermore, her talks to pet parents give them the permission they need to not only grieve but mourn the loss of their beloved pet.   Key Takeaways: Coleen talks about how pets are considered family members for most of their owners and as a result, the grieving process is as profound and painful as it is when we lose a relative. Coleen advises people to choose wisely who they will be surrounded by when they are grieving, some people just don't get it. Coleen talks about the anticipatory feeling of loss when a pet owner has to take the tough decision of ending their pet's life. Coleen explains how hospice for pets works. Please remember to be kind to yourself. Wherever you are right now is exactly where you should be. Honor the journey you shared with your pet every day. Ask your pet for a sign. You are not losing your mind, allow yourself to receive the signs as you notice them. Every grieving process is different. Mourning is the active part of grieving; you have to do something with your grief and honor the time you spent with your pet.   Resources Tendrilsofgrief.com Email Susan: susan@tendrilsofgrief.com   Meet Learn more about Coleen Ellis Two Hearts Pet Loss Center, Pet Parents: A Journey Through Unconditional Love and Grief, Coleen Ellis Forever Friend, Coleen Ellis Foreverfriend.pet

How do you host a pet loss memorial service? Living in a ‘death avoidance' society, many are uncomfortable with the idea of facing death and the passing of a pet. As pet sitters, we can position ourselves as leaders in the community of hurting people who have lost their pets. We can create safe spaces for them to grieve and find others to support them in their mourning work. Coleen Ellis, founder of the Two Hearts Pet Loss Center, joins the show to share what it takes to put on an effective pet loss memorial service. She gives details on elements you can include, and ones to avoid. Main topics What should we call it? Why are they needed? Typical structure Growing the community Things to avoid Main takeaway: Hosting a pet loss memorial events helps people in your community understand that the grief we have is the price we have for love, and that there is support for them. About our guest: For Coleen, her foray into helping grieving pet lovers started in 1998 with a chance encounter with a pet parent facing the death of her beloved pet. It was the beginning of a vision of how to best meet the needs of pet parents in their desire to mourn, memorialize and pay tribute to their beloved pets when they die. In 2004, the experience of the death of Mico guided her in starting the nation's first stand-alone pet funeral home. Soon, publications such as Kates-Boylston's Pet Loss Insider deemed her the “most well known pet funeral director” and a true “pet loss pioneer.” Two Hearts Pet Loss Center was founded in 2009 to guide people who wished to do the same in providing meaningful pet death care services in their communities. Two Hearts was also started to aid in being an educational resource in the pet grief discipline. In 2009, she received the first Death and Grief Studies Certification specializing in Pet Loss Companioning by Dr. Alan Wolfelt as well as releasing her first book, Pet Parents: A Journey Through Unconditional Love and Grief. She is also Certified in Thanatology and is a Certified Pet Loss Professional. By 2014, Coleen was ready to take her vision to a new level. Joining Nick Padlo as managing partner and Chief Marketing Officer, they formed an acquisition company whose mission was to standardize and raise the service levels of the pet loss industry. The Pet Loss Center strives to be the nation's premier pet loss service, elevating the experiential component of pet loss and grief care across the country. In 2019, she shifted her position with The Pet Loss Center to an Advisory/Consultant role in order to focus more fully on Two Hearts and those demanding education, mentoring, and coaching in the pet death care space. Coleen is an internationally sought-after speaker on the topics of pet loss and grief. Through her delivery style, pet care professionals learn a variety of techniques immediately applicable to implement on how to companion families in their grief journey. Furthermore, her talks to pet parents give them the permission they need to not only grieve but mourn the loss of their beloved pet. Coleen is the founder and past co-chair of the Pet Loss Professionals Alliance and past president of the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, where she currently serves as an advisor. She is a native of Kansas where she graduated from Fort Hays State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. She currently sits on the Board of Trustees for Fort Hays State University, and is a recipient of the 2018 Alumni Achievement Award, the college's highest recognition for graduates. Dallas, TX, is where Coleen and her husband, Chris Burke, reside. They share their home with their four-legged kids, Crisco and Rudy.   Links: https://twoheartspetlosscenter.com/mico-harry-ellie-story https://www.petangelmemorialcenter.com https://www.petsitterconfessional.com/episodes/110-pet-loss-and-grieving-with-coleen-ellis https://iaahpc.org Her book for kids on dogs and cats poooli machine: https://www.poooliprint.com Check out Gusto: https://gusto.com/d/collin1453 Buy PSC Merch Give us a call! (636) 364-8260  Follow us on: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter Email us at: feedback@petsitterconfessional.com Full show notes and transcript   Sponsored by: ❤️ Our AMAZING Patreon Supporters Time to Pet Visit: https://timetopet.com/confessional Code: 50% off first 3 months Pet Sitters International Visit: https://www.petsit.com/psc Code: PSC15

https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html (Nearly 46,000 Americans died by suicide in 2020). That's one death every 11 minutes. Coping with the loss of a loved one is challenging. It can also be difficult for people around them to know how to best support them. https://www.dbsalliance.org/about/young-adult-council/ (DBSA Young Adult Council) members Olivia Eiler and Jamie Vaughn spoke with two co-facilitators from the https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.starcenter.pitt.edu/clinical-services/survivors-suicide&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1664471909830827&usg=AOvVaw2nL4MUmGTgwFoB34Piz0mi (Survivors of Suicide) (SOS) bereavement support group at UMPC Western Psychiatric Hospital'shttps://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.starcenter.pitt.edu/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1664471909831262&usg=AOvVaw2Na4Yq20mlWlKCQJNxxtb- ( STAR-Center in Pittsburgh.) They share their personal experiences with suicide loss, offer practical tips for supporting survivors, and discuss resources for survivors. For Immediate Help: National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 Online Resources: American Association of Suicidology https://suicidology.org/ American Foundation for Suicide Prevention https://afsp.org/ Survivors of Suicide bereavement support group https://www.starcenter.pitt.edu/clinical-services/survivors-suicide Jamey Covaleski 412-864-3346 covaleskijj@upmc.edu The Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families https://www.dougy.org/ The Child Mind Institute https://childmind.org/topics/suicide-self-harm/ Books for Adults: After Suicide Loss: Coping with Your Grief by Bob Baugher and Jack Jordan No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One by Carla Fine When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner Why People Die by Suicide by Thomas Joiner History of a Suicide: My Sister's Unfinished Life by Jill Bialosky I'm Sorry For Your Loss: Hope and Guidance in Managing Your Grief by Lillian L. Meyers, Ph.D. My Son…My Son: A Guide to Healing After Death, Loss, or Suicide by Iris Bolton Voices of Healing and Hope: Conversations on Grief after Suicide by Iris Bolton Cracked, Not Broken: Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt by Kevin Hines It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting grief and loss in a culture that doesn't understand by Megan Devine Grief One Day at a Time: 365 Meditations to Help You Heal After Loss by Alan Wolfelt, Ph.D. A Time to Grieve: Meditations for Healing After the Death of a Loved One by Carol Staudacher Shattered: Surviving the Loss of a Child by Gary Roe Signs by Laura Lynne Jackson Books for Children: Suicide Loss: What Teens Need to Know by Terri Erbacher, Ph.D. & Tony Salvatore, MA But I Didn't Get to Say Goodbye: For Parents and Professionals Helping Child Suicide Survivors by Barbara Rubel My Uncle Keith Died by Carol Ann Loehr, Julianne Costentino & James Mojonnier

In this episode, I chat with you about the six mindset transition milestones of a divorce. The transition of moving from a partnership, or marriage, to being a single parent is a process, but how quickly you get through it is dependent on how willing you are to let go and engage in the process. This is important so you are not stuck in the pain forever.  The six milestones will help you become more aware of what's coming. These milestones are from Alan Wolfelt's book, Transcending Divorce, Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart. There's a whole range of stages that one might go through in order to heal. Here, I talk about the starting point of divorce, the transition steps in between, and the end (which leads to new beginnings). Each person is different, and you will progress at your own pace. Your journey is your own journey. I hope that listening to this episode will help you become more aware of your own journey, and to ask for help if you think you need it. Links mentioned in the episode:  Listen to my previous episode, 307 - Asking for help, HERE. Join the Thrive Tribe waitlist HERE.  Download the E-book – Thirteen single mothers share their struggles, top tips, and their favourite things about being a single mother – HERE. To contact Julia, email: julia@singlemothersurvivalguide.com. Visit us at Single Mother Survival Guide. And join the email list there too. Or connect with Single Mother Survival Guide on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.

On Thursday's "The Extra", we previewed two uplifting, inspiring and compassionate programs.  The programs, sponsored by The Voices of Grief Support and Education Center, are Wednesday evening September 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM and Thursday September 29, from 9:00 am to 3:30 PM at the ENT Center for the Arts.  Dr. Alan Wolfelt will be a key presenter.  The Wednesday program will focus on supporting anyone who has suffered a significant loss and those who wish to know more about how to support and encourage family and friends in their grief. Thursday's program will focus on Exploring Grief after Suicide. Anyone who has experienced grief because of a suicide or those who wish to know more about how to support their family and friends in this experience.  More information on how to register is at VoicesofGriefCenter.org or call 719-286-0612. 

On Thursday's "The Extra", we previewed two uplifting, inspiring and compassionate programs.  The programs, sponsored by The Voices of Grief Support and Education Center, are Wednesday evening September 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM and Thursday September 29, from 9:00 am to 3:30 PM at the ENT Center for the Arts.  Dr. Alan Wolfelt will be a key presenter.  The Wednesday program will focus on supporting anyone who has suffered a significant loss and those who wish to know more about how to support and encourage family and friends in their grief. Thursday's program will focus on Exploring Grief after Suicide. Anyone who has experienced grief because of a suicide or those who wish to know more about how to support their family and friends in this experience.  More information on how to register is at VoicesofGriefCenter.org or call 719-286-0612. 

Listen in on a conversation with Denny and Karri Allen as they bravely share their story of losing their son Asher suddenly and abruptly. The Allen's grief story led them to founding and running Healing Hope Ministries to serve families who have experienced child loss. Healing Hope Ministries, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, was founded by Denny and Karri Allen in March of 2016. The creation of Healing Hope was sparked by their own personal grief journey. On July 2, 2012, Denny and Karri lost their precious son, Asher, when he died suddenly at just 15 months old. The first year after Asher's death, Denny and Karri felt a deep need to talk about Asher and talk to other parents who had lost children. It was a way for them to process their own grief and seemed to bring some comfort to their hearts. They attended a 4-day retreat at Smile Again Ministries, located in northern Minnesota, which changed the trajectory of their life. This time on retreat opened up communication between the couple and helped them learn how to navigate life moving forward. With this intense desire for a community who understood our grief, Karri and Denny continued meeting with other parents who had lost children. In the summer of 2015, they both felt God calling them into ministry to help families who've experienced the death of a child, grandchild, or sibling. With the idea to bring a grief retreat setting to South Dakota, Healing Hope Ministries was born. The vision of Healing Hope is to hold a safe space for families to intentionally work through their grief. Denny and Karri, as retreat facilitators and peers who have walked a similar journey, hold space for families to share stories, have hard conversations and learn more about grief and mourning. This intentional work provides a pathway of hope. Healing Hope Ministries relies heavily on the material developed by Smile Again Ministries as well as the teachings of Dr. Alan Wolfelt. Dr. Wolfelt, of the Center for Loss in Colorado, is known around the world for his compassionate messages of hope and healing as well as his companioning philosophy of grief care. In addition to these resources, their personal life experiences and many grief support training courses, the Allens are also certified Grief and Loss Coaches. www.healinghopes.com Mandate SocMeds (Social Medias) Instagram @mandatepod Patreon - www.patreon.com/mandatepodcast Email - mandate.pod@gmail.com Website - www.anchor.fm/mandate Apple Podcast - www.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcasts/the-mandate-podcast Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/51tJeha51F5nPk0rcZhDaD --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mandate/message

Mary Gardner, DVM, Co-Founder and CIO of Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice & In-Home Euthanasia. After graduating from the University of Miami, she began working as a trainer for an enterprise-wide order management software. After learning the intricacies of the software and the variety of ways different businesses used it, she moved into a Business Architect role where she led the design of new software initiatives. Her innate talent for understanding logistics in a client-centric organization developed a unique skill set for a veterinarian. After 10 years in software, she found herself longing for something different and more meaningful. The path she selected was to become a veterinarian. She completed her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2008 from the University of Florida. She worked in general medicine at a veterinary clinic in south Florida for two years before discovering her niche in end-of-life care. Gardner is a published author for many articles and a textbook, speaks all around the world on geriatrics and end of life care and was voted 2020 VMX Small Animal Speaker of the year. Coleen Ellis founded Pet Angel Memorial Center, Inc, the United States' first stand-alone pets-only funeral home.  Now a well recognized thought-leader on the subject of pet death-care by organizations such as the National Funeral Directors Association and the International Cemetery, Crematory and Funeral Association, her work within the pet death care industry has begun to span the country as others who share in her passion for pets and their respectful treatment in death desire to open their own care centers. In response to consulting demand, Coleen founded Two Hearts Pet Loss Center, to guide those people who also wish to provide death care services in their communities, as well to be an educational resource in the pet grief discipline. Most recently, Coleen was awarded the first Death and Grief Studies Certification specializing in Pet Loss Companioning by Dr Alan Wolfelt, at his Center For Loss in Ft Collins, Colorado.

Host Gabe Schauf talks with death educator and grief counselor, Dr. Alan Wolfelt, and NFDA's Morgan Schlender, Account Executive for Endorsed Programs & Membership. The three discuss the recognition and prevention of funeral director burnout, and some of the new initiatives that NFDA has created to help support funeral directors as they serve families.

In this episode, I share a bit of Liam's story along with what helpd me move from despair to hope in my grief journey. Below is a youtube video of my grief counselor and I talking about my first year of grieving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7sz-O5D5vQ Below is the website for Dr. Alan Wolfelt. Here you can get the book I mentioned in the podcast as well as many other resources to help you. https://www.centerforloss.com/ EMAIL - wclloyd@icloud.com

Death and dying... how do you prepare for the end of life?  Join Mim & Lis as we listen to a long-view story of death in a hospital. We explore what the social worker does over the course of two admissions, firstly helping to facilitate conversations with the elderly patient and his family members about what a good death looks like; and secondly exploring the actual end-of-life journey. This is a fantastic and compelling story told by a very experienced social worker - there are many practice lessons to be learned no matter what area of social work you happen to be in.  After the story, Mim and Lis break down some of the bigger picture ideas and thoughts from their own experience. We discuss the role of a hospital social worker in the death space, and how we can take steps in our personal life to help us prepare to walk alongside families as they say goodbye to their loved ones.  As mentioned in the episode, you can read more about the work of Dr Alan Wolfelt here. You can also explore the End of Life planning kits on the NSW Health website.    Have any burning thoughts after listening, or just want to say hello? Send us an email on socialworkstoriespodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you!   Follow our Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/SocialWorkStoriesPodcast   Credits: Hosts - Lis Murphy and Mim Fox Producer - Justin Stech Editing - Dave Scilly Music - 'Mama' by Ben Grace (copyright 2018). Find on Spotify, or at www.bengracemusic.com Social Work Stories©️ (Copyright 26 April 2022) Contact us online at www.socialworkstories.com, follow our facebook page or use the handle @SOWKStoriesPod on twitter or instagram.

The death of someone we love, changes our lives forever. And after someone dies, it's almost always a long and painful journey. According to Dr. Alan Wolfelt, after working with thousands of grieving people over the years, he writes that he has “learned that if we are to heal we cannot skirt the outside edges of our grief. Instead, we must journey all through it.” Grief is what we think and feel on the inside when someone we love dies. It's the internal meaning given to the experience of loss. Mourning is the outward expression of our grief, the difficult journey that we define. On today’s show, we have my friend Kim Rodriguez to talk about her husband’s death and she speaks about rediscovering what it means to live a full life.

During this episode of "Why Do Pets Matter?" I'm speaking with my dear friend, Valarie Adams. Such a wonderful chat about grief and mourning the loss of our beloved pets -- how to address grief and how to listen to others who are grieving without giving your opinions about grief. We also had a deeply heartfelt conversation about palliative care and hospice.  Links Mentioned During The Show:  Elizabeth Kubler Ross:  https://www.psycom.net/depression.central.grief.html   Alan Wolfelt: https://www.taps.org/globalassets/pdf/covid/tenets-of-companioning   About Valarie Adams:   Valarie Adams is a CVT with over 40 years working in veterinary medicine. Graduating from the Medical Institute of Minnesota in 1973 puts her in the “aged but still useful” class. Her background in veterinary medicine has taken her from working with large and small animal emergency/critical care to delivering in-home veterinary hospice and palliative care. Valarie has lectured and written on death and dying and the human-animal bond.  She fills her soul with her horses, volunteering veterinary care on a Native American reservation and gathering with groups of wise women.   Connect with Valarie: Website: https://confidesinanimals.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valarie-adams-a1806775/  

Reid Peterson and Belinda Cock of Grief Refuge talk about coping with sentimental objects after loss. This is part 2 of 2. Episode 1185: [Part 2] Coping With Sentimental Objects After Loss by Reid Peterson and Belinda Cock of Grief Refuge Grief Refuge experiences are facilitated by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy; with an emphasis on presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered-care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. The Grief Refuge app is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey.  The original post can be found here: https://griefrefuge.medium.com/coping-with-sentimental-objects-after-loss-a0625fa9b6c8  Noom Mood guides you to mental wellness one step at a time, 10 minutes per day. Sign up for your trial at Noom.com/ORD Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reid Peterson and Belinda Cock of Grief Refuge talk about coping with sentimental objects after loss. This is part 1 of 2. Episode 1184: [Part 1] Coping With Sentimental Objects After Loss by Reid Peterson and Belinda Cock of Grief Refuge Grief Refuge experiences are facilitated by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy; with an emphasis on presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered-care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. The Grief Refuge app is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey.  The original post can be found here: https://griefrefuge.medium.com/coping-with-sentimental-objects-after-loss-a0625fa9b6c8  Noom Mood guides you to mental wellness one step at a time, 10 minutes per day. Sign up for your trial at Noom.com/ORD Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us as we welcome Rhonda Abrams, CCA Bereavement Coordinator; Kathy Stellato, R.N., Co-Founder- Joel's Place for Children; Becky Verner McDermott, Outreach Specialist and Program Coordinator-Joel's Place for Children, and Owner, Becky Verner Yoga and Mary Sue McGorray, Board Member- Joel's Place for Children, Funeral Director-McGorray-Hanna Funeral Home.November, the month where we remember our deceased loved ones on  All Souls Day, is also known as Childhood Grief Awareness month. November 18th is specifically National Childhood Grief Awareness Day, and in order to promote awareness for this special cause, we have recorded two podcast episodes with Joel's Place for Children.  The first recorded session was titled  "Meditation and Breath" by Becky Verner McDermott of Becky Verner Yoga and Joel's Place for Children ( Season 2, Episode 14, CCAirwaves). This is the second podcast of a two-part series with Joel's Place and we think it is an excellent resource for families with children who are suffering through a loss.Joel's Place for Children was founded in 2003 by Kathy Stellato, R.N. and Mary Willhite, L.S.W. After working together, Kathy and Mary decided to create a non-profit that would meet the needs of children and their families who had experienced the death of a loved one. The two extensively studied the nationally recognized Dougy Center of Portland, Oregon, and the teachings of Dr. Alan Wolfelt, founder of the Center for Loss & Life Transition. After obtaining advanced bereavement facilitator certificates, they felt ready to provide their services to grieving children and their families.Joel's Place operates "on the belief that it is helpful and healing for grieving children and their families to share their stories, memories, experiences, thoughts and feelings with other grieving children and families. Joel's Place offers an ongoing grief support program in the Greater Cleveland area. These services are provided free of charge."Our previous episode with Joel's Place highlights the family group grief sessions where Becky Verner led us in a gentle yoga session on breathwork and meditation. We invite you to share both of these episodes with families who could benefit from learning more about Joel's Place for Children and  with anyone who could benefit from a relaxing and healing meditation.For more information on Joel's Place for Children, please visit www.joelsplaceforchildren.org. To learn more about Becky Verner Yoga, please visit www.beckyverneryoga.com.Feel free to contact me, Kathy McKiernan, Marketing and Communications Manager at Catholic Cemeteries Association at kmckiernan@clecem.org. I welcome your comments or feedback on our CCAirwaves podcasts.  Catholic Cemeteries Association looks forward to bringing  relevant and important topics of interest to our listeners as we  continually improve our bereavement support offerings.Visit our website at www.clecem.org.

Join us this month as we welcome back to our CCAirwaves studio, Becky (Verner) McDermott of Becky Verner Yoga.  In addition to being the owner of Becky Verner Yoga, she is also the Outreach Specialist and Program Coordinator at Joel's Place for Children. During this episode, Becky leads us in a breathwork and meditation session which is an excerpt from her Grief Yoga program “Yoga to Remember”. November, the month where we remember our deceased loved ones on  All Souls Day, is also known as Childhood Grief Awareness month. November 18th is specifically National Childhood Grief Awareness Day, and in order to promote awareness for this special cause, we have recorded two podcast episodes with Joel's Place for Children.  Joel's Place for Children was founded in 2003 by Kathy Stellato, R.N. and Mary Willhite, L.S.W. After working together, Kathy and Mary decided to create a non-profit that would meet the needs of children and their families who had experienced the death of a loved one. The two extensively studied the nationally recognized Dougy Center of Portland, Oregon, and the teachings of Dr. Alan Wolfelt, founder of the Center for Loss & Life Transition. After obtaining advanced bereavement facilitator certificates, they felt ready to provide their services to grieving children and their families.Joel's Place operates "on the belief that it is helpful and healing for grieving children and their families to share their stories, memories, experiences, thoughts and feelings with other grieving children and families. Joel's Place offers an ongoing grief support program in the Greater Cleveland area. These services are provided free of charge."We hope you enjoy this episode and invite you to share it with anyone who could benefit from a relaxing and healing meditation.For more information on Joel's Place for Children, please visit www.joelsplaceforchildren.org. To learn more about Becky Verner Yoga, please visit www.beckyverneryoga.com.Feel free to contact me, Kathy McKiernan, Marketing and Communications Manager at Catholic Cemeteries Association at kmckiernan@clecem.org. I welcome your comments or feedback on our CCAirwaves podcasts.  Catholic Cemeteries Association looks forward to bringing  relevant and important topics of interest to our listeners as we  continually improve our bereavement support offerings.

A mother mourning the loss of her daughter discovers that she has lost something else important to her.   TRANSCRIPT SPEAKER 1: The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. SPEAKER 2: Welcome to JCO's Cancer Stories, The Art of Oncology, brought to you by the ASCO Podcast Network, a collection of nine programs covering a range of educational and scientific content and offering enriching insight into the world of cancer care. You can find all of the shows, including this one, at podcast.asco.org. ELIZABETH CONROW: Access Denied, by Elizabeth Conrow. I lost my daughter, Amanda, in 2015. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age three and was in treatment for 2 and 1/2 years. Less than two weeks after she died, friends and family were getting on with their lives, but I was still in shock. I couldn't believe that Amanda was really gone. Early in the day, I looked at my kitchen table and tried to imagine her eating a bowl of rice, an unusual breakfast for a five-year-old. But that was Amanda. My eyes filled with tears as they rested on the empty chair. She was really gone. In that moment, standing in the kitchen, I struggled to remember every detail of who she was. It felt like the memory of her was slipping away. My heart beat quickened, and my mind raced with compulsive nagging thoughts. How tall was she the last time we were in the outpatient clinic? How much did she weigh? I realized I would never be able to put her on a scale again or mark her height on the cupboard door. I fear that this information would be lost forever, just like Amanda. I moved to my computer and started to log on to our hospital's online patient portal to see if I could find answers to my questions. How many times had I logged into this system looking for Amanda's test results or to message one of her doctors? How many times did it serve to confirm appointment times or remind me of medicine doses? I clicked the Sign In button, and my heart stopped. I couldn't get in. Instead of viewing her chart, I saw an alarming red stop sign and a message saying "access denied." I stared at the screen in disbelief. Just two weeks after losing my daughter, I faced yet another heartbreaking and unexpected loss. I no longer had access to Amanda's medical records. I no longer had a connection to her medical team and the hospital family I had grown to love and care for. Everything Amanda had been through for the last 2 and 1/2 years was gone. It was as if she never existed. She had vanished. I was caught off guard, deeply saddened, and utterly unprepared to have this connection to the hospital and this connection to Amanda ripped away. I was confused and embarrassed by my emotions. I certainly didn't need this access. But I was devastated that it had been taken away. I reached out to my daughter's oncologist to ask how and why the patient portal had been turned off. I let him know that it was really important to me to be able to view Amanda's records, at least for a time. It had never occurred to him that a parent might want to see this information again. He explained that it was a system designed safety measure that automatically turned off access to an account once a patient had died. I was the first parent to reach out to him with this question. Amanda's oncologist immediately contacted the online records office to reactivate her chart so I could search out answers to some of my questions. It brought me so much comfort to be able to go back in and revisit her medical journey. As I thanked her doctor, I shared with him how important it was to protect families from this type of trauma. I didn't want another family to experience this pain. He listened and helped put a manual reactivation system in place. Going forward when a child died, the online records office would manually reactivate each pediatric account individually. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it was a step in the right direction. It has been six years since Amanda's passing. I am now the bereavement coordinator at the same hospital where she received care. When I started in this role, I was surprised to learn of several families who, like me, had been denied access to their child's medical record. Hadn't the hospital resolved this issue years ago? I was frustrated that our institution hadn't found a better solution in the six years that passed. Last spring, as I followed up with bereaved families from our hospital, I had a conversation with a mother, Diane, that was hauntingly familiar and heartbreaking. Diane and I spoke on the phone shortly after the loss of her son, Evan. As we wrapped up our call, almost as an afterthought, she sheepishly asked about Evan's medical records being deactivated. I was immediately brought back to my kitchen table and the pain I felt when I experienced this secondary loss just two weeks after losing Amanda. I knew why Diane felt silly asking about this. And I deeply understood her need to log in. Diana explained that she was creating a record of everything Evan had been through, every transfusion, every chemo treatment, every inpatient and outpatient visit. And she could no longer complete that task. She shared her experience with me. I know for me, it was really difficult to wake up that very next morning, literally only about 12 hours since he died and not be able to look at it. Even though I know there had been no additional tests run since the last time I had checked, it was my morning routine to look at it. I would check it each morning, even before I got up. It had been that way for months while we were inpatient. First, looking at his ANC and counts, and then in the final month and a half, checking his bilirubin and liver numbers. There was always that hope that things were going to improve. This would be the day. So that first and subsequent time was just a blunt reminder that he was gone and there would be no more checking. I wanted to go back and look at his results, too. Oddly, I thought it would make me feel closer to him and closer to the routine I had while he was alive. Diane wanted to feel closer to her son. I wanted to feel closer to my daughter. Accessing a child's online medical portal is one way a parent begins to come to terms with this impossible loss. Snaman, et al, 2016, suggest that parents who are grieving significantly benefit from the creation and continuation of bonds with a child who has died. Revisiting a child's journey through the lens of the medical portal helps strengthen that bond. As I looked through Amanda's chart and remembered various times we visited the hospital, it helped me picture her more clearly. And it helped me feel a connection to her that I was deeply longing for. Looking through a child's medical record, while painful, can be part of healing and connection. In addition to creating bonds with a child who has died, the medical portal helps parents stay connected to the hospital and the medical team that cared for their child. According to additional research by Snaman, et al, 2016, bereaved parent's benefit from the ongoing support of a hospital throughout a time of grief. When a child dies, the secondary loss of the medical community can leave families feeling abandoned by those they have come to trust and depend on. Anyone who had taken care of Amanda felt like family to me. Sending messages to Amanda's medical team after she died provided a feeling of familiarity when everything else around me was spiraling out of control. A continuing connection with the medical team through the online portal can positively impact grief outcomes for bereaved parents. Accessing a child's medical record provides a grieving family with an easy way to communicate with, and ask lingering questions of the medical team. Access to medical records should not end when a child dies. The 21st Century Cures act acknowledges the need to provide patients with open notes and immediate access to medical information. As we implement real-time access for living patients, continuing access after a loss should also be considered essential. Dr. Alan Wolfelt, from the Center for Loss, discusses the need to say hello to one's grief and welcome it before saying goodbye to the person who died. In those early months, saying hello to grief meant reading through Amanda's medical records, communicating with her medical team, and uncovering every connection I had to her while she was alive. In some small way, logging into Amanda's medical portal and discovering that she was 42 inches tall and weighed 41.2 pounds brought me immeasurable comfort. As parents grieve the loss of a child, comfort and connection should be readily available without having access denied. SPEAKER 3: The guest on this podcast episode has no disclosures to declare. SPEAKER 4: Welcome to Cancer Stories, The Art of Oncology podcast series. With me today is Elizabeth Conrow, bereavement coordinator at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the author of Access Denied. Welcome to the program, Liz. ELIZABETH CONROW: Thank you so much for having me here. It's an honor to be here. SPEAKER 4: It is our pleasure. And first of all, let me start by saying I was very moved by the piece. And I'm so sorry that you lived through this experience. And really interested in knowing how you transformed your personal grief into now, your profession. ELIZABETH CONROW: Sure. Well, it's definitely been a process. Obviously, as a family, we never thought we would be down this road. I never thought I would have a child who had cancer. I never thought that I would have to go through the grief of losing a child and then comforting my own family, and my husband, and those around us through that experience. And I can tell you that for the first couple of years, I really didn't feel equipped to do anything. I felt like I lost my confidence in anything that I had an ability to do prior to this. Simple things like making a meal for someone who was sick became way too overwhelming to even consider doing. So it was definitely a process of years. But when the opportunity came up to work at Golisano Children's Hospital, the same place where Amanda had been cared for, the timing was right. And I knew that it was a great step to take and a way to honor Amanda's life, and really in some way, offer just a little bit of support and comfort to bereaved families, because I understood a little bit of what maybe they were going through. So it just seemed like a really good fit and a really good match for my experience at that point and a way to help and honor Amanda. SPEAKER 4: Let's start by talking a little bit about Amanda. Tell us a little bit about her and her story. ELIZABETH CONROW: Sure. Amanda is one of five children. So she was the fourth of the five. Very silly, loved to wrestle with daddy, had the biggest blue eyes that anyone had ever seen. She was just a delight and a joy. And when she was 3 and 1/2, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. And we were in the hospital for a number of days. She had surgery and a full resection. And we were told that if after a resection and radiation it never came back, that we would be good. But that if it came back, it would likely be terminal. So we knew at the outset that this was-- we're not dealing with a cold or a headache. We're dealing with something pretty serious. So she went through the surgery beautifully. She went through all of her radiation treatments. We did a clinical trial of chemotherapy. And six months from when she was diagnosed, we really felt like we did well. She did amazing. And we were ready to walk away from everything and just celebrate really, kind of getting through this. And her very first follow-up scan two weeks after she was done with treatment-- her doctor, Dr. Koronas, called us and let us know the very devastating news that the tumor had returned, and it was all in her brain and down her spine and too many places to count. So six months from diagnosis, we knew that this was not going to end well. And we kind of had to struggle to prepare for that, as well as to recognize that in that moment, she was still Amanda. And she was still doing really well. But we knew that time would be limited. And so we had actually a very good year and a half with her, as much as you can say that. She went through additional radiation treatments. And we continued to try other chemotherapies to do what we could. But ultimately, in February of 2015, surrounded by her family in our home she passed away. And we then had a whole new struggle with grief and really, coming to terms with a new life and a devastating loss. But she was a joy. And she was a joy throughout it. So it was not all terrible. SPEAKER 4: She sounds like an extraordinarily little girl. And in your essay, you start by telling us that just after she died, I think a few days or weeks, you're thinking about her, and you want to access her medical record through the portal that you had gotten used to using all the time. And then as you're logging in, you get the signal that says "access denied." And that triggered a tremendous wave of grief for you or something. Tell us a little bit about that and what you did with that. ELIZABETH CONROW: Sure. I think I didn't realize at the time that I was really just trying to hang on to who she was, that I was trying to connect with her in some way. I mean, it was just two weeks after she had died. And I just-- I wanted access to see, what did she weigh? Goodness, if I could recreate her in the form of a stuffed animal, how long would she be? How much would she weigh? And when I went to log in, it was a horribly devastating loss. It really felt like all of the sudden, I knew in my mind she was gone, but logging into this wealth of information that contained all of her blood counts and numbers and information that we had access so often, to all of a sudden have that gone. It was just a punch in the gut reminder that she truly was gone and that her records had disappeared. And she just wasn't here. And I wasn't prepared for that. I really thought that I'd be able to go in and find the things I wanted to find and have peace about that. It was shocking to me. And I remember feeling so embarrassed like, how can I call her doctor and say, I lost this access and I really need it? When she's not here, there's no reason. I don't need it. He's going to think I'm crazy. But it was important enough to me that I reached out to him. And I said, you've got to help me. How can I still access this? SPEAKER 4: So what happened next? ELIZABETH CONROW: So he-- actually, I was pretty surprised. I was the first parent he said, that had ever reached out to him with this issue. And I thought, how is that possible? How is that possible? And I'm guessing other parents had experienced it, but didn't know what to do, didn't know where to turn. And he was very compassionate. And he reached out to our online medical team, our portal team, and tried to figure out a way to reactivate the account for me. And got that done very quickly. And I said, well, it's not enough that it's been reactivated for me. No other parent can go through this. We have to come up with a plan. And so he really did work very hard with our team here to come up with something that would hopefully fix the problem. And it did. I know many families then, had their access turned back on manually, through a manual process that they put in place here. But I know that in the last six years, there have been several families who went to log in and had this experience. And unless you've been there and unless you've been the parent on the end of losing a child and then going in and having more taken away that you didn't expect, you don't understand the pain of that. And so I think the driving force behind me really wanting to write this article was to say, I know that this isn't just my institution. I know this is happening across hospitals. I know that when a child dies, this access is turned off. And that really hurts families. And if there's a way to bring attention to that and say, hey, we can do better, we need to. SPEAKER 4: Now that you have this perspective, I know that you have actually developed some training for oncology fellows and staff to train them a bit to talk with bereaved parents. What are some of the lessons that you want people to learn? ELIZABETH CONROW: That's a great question. I'm working with another doctor here. It's an advanced communication training where we're helping young doctors share bad news for the first time. And it's amazing to me how afraid people are to approach the bereaved. And I guess, having been through it, I see now how poorly we really do bereavement and how afraid we are to kind of approach someone who's lost a child and just wrap our arms around them and say, I'm so sorry. I'm here with you. Everybody wants to fix it. And there's no fix. And people don't want to approach a bereaved parent and bring up their child, because they don't want to make them sad. And what many people realize is that our children are always on our mind. You're not reminding us of anything we're not already thinking about. I was pretty surprised after losing Amanda that someone could be on my mind all the time-- all the time when they're not here anymore. You know, you think about people here and there, time to time, people in your life. But once she was gone, she was right at the front of my mind and still is, every moment of every day. And so if you see a bereaved person, it's OK to mention their child's name. I actually-- I go to the dentist. And the woman who cleans my teeth, every single time I go, will mention Amanda. And I know it's intentional. And I know it's because she wants me to know that she cares. And so those kinds of simple acts that people do as a way of recognizing and honoring the child whose passed means so much to a bereaved parent. SPEAKER 4: Just listening to you and the emotion in your voice, I imagine it must have been difficult in a way to go back to the same place where Amanda was treated and now, work with the staff and the clinicians who treated her. Tell us a little bit about how you've managed those relationships? ELIZABETH CONROW: One of the things I've learned, and that's partly through the role I have now in supporting other bereaved parents is that everyone grieves differently. And I know there are some parents who, the first time they come back to the hospital, it's really, really hard for them. And it's almost like a PTSD moment. For me, I appreciated and cared about all of the medical staff so much that coming back here to me, was a need. I needed to get back here and find a way to connect with these doctors and nurses and the people who cared for Amanda so beautifully while she was here. In those first months of grief, I showed up at the hospital-- I remember there was one day I showed up, and I felt so lost. But I just needed to see those nurses and give them a hug. And I felt awkward and out of place, because suddenly, I'm here and she's not with me. But I just needed to be in a place where she had been and a place that meant so much to us. So coming back here for me, certainly had its hard moments. And there have been challenges with it. But it's been a place of comfort. And being able to talk about Amanda with other parents has really been a gift for me, because it's not an opportunity you have all the time, especially six years later to talk about the child who died. So it's been a gift. SPEAKER 4: What is it like for you to be with other parents now who are going through what you experienced? How does your experience of loss influence your role as a counselor for a newly bereaved parents? ELIZABETH CONROW: I do a lot of listening. I do a lot of listening. And there are some parents who I'll call and follow up with and check in on. And they're good. And they don't need anything. And to be honest, I think when we first lost Amanda, if someone called me and I had never met them before, I might say I'm good. I don't really need any support right now. I've got my family. But there are some parents who I will call, and they will talk to me for 45 minutes. And they will cry. And they will say, you're the first person I've been able to talk to about this, because you understand and you've been through it. And so I'm able just to listen. And when they say things that they think are crazy, I wandered into my son's room and I slept in his bed last night, I say, I understand that. I once found Amanda's socks in a travel bag. And when I found them, I pulled them out and I slept with her socks. So there are things that people think are crazy that I'm able to help them normalize some of those feelings and understand that it's OK. SPEAKER 4: I don't think it's crazy at all. You speak with such knowledge and also such empathy. I wonder if you can help us also understand how you see the clinicians now-- the doctors and nurses who are actually are caring for these patients-- how you see them react to the death of a patient and how they maintain their relationships with what the parents once the kids are gone? ELIZABETH CONROW: It's been very interesting, I guess you could say to be on the other side of this, right? I was on the parents side before, where I was able to receive kind of the love and comfort and support of those who cared for Amanda. And I was able to see them showing up at the funeral and the ways that they would reach out and send notes and cards. But now, being on this side working with many of those same people, I've been really struck, even during our weekly meetings when they talk about different cases and different families and the losses that they've had, how significantly it does impact them, and how much those families and those children really do mean to them. And you know, I've often sat there now wondering, well, what did they say about my family? What did they say about us? And not a conversation I can go back to and sit in on. But I'm just struck by how much they really do care and how much it extends beyond this just being a job for most of-- all of them. SPEAKER 4: Yeah, in your role now, in your professional role, what kind of changes have you implemented in the way clinicians and parents communicate, or the way the system communicates with parents? ELIZABETH CONROW: At our hospital where I work, we have probably around 80 or 90 losses a year. And I came into this and said, I can support these families. And I can follow up with 80 or 90 families in a reasonable manner. But really, we need more parents doing this. We need to expand kind of what we're doing. So I've been trying to work toward implementing a mentoring program of sorts, where bereaved parents who are a few years out in their grief can come alongside newly bereaved parents and really support them, one on one for a year or a year and a half to help them get through that time, so that it isn't just me. And as great as I am, I really know that we can do much, much better by parents if we expand kind of the support network that we have. So I've been trying to grow some of our bereaved parent base. And those who can give input on some of the things we're doing-- because I know bereaved parents have so much wisdom and so much they can share from their own experiences. SPEAKER 4: You sound like a force. I wonder, have you connected with other hospitals, other teams? Or is your-- are you concentrated on your hospital and your community? ELIZABETH CONROW: The greatest support to me, actually has been St. Jude. They have such a fantastic program. Their bereavement, their parent support is really outstanding. Actually, just this week, I was able to sit in on one of their parent mentor trainings to kind of learn, well, how do you train your people, and what do you do? And so that was fantastic. So I'm really grateful-- grateful for their support. So they've been really wonderful. SPEAKER 4: I imagine Amanda's passing really affected your entire family and the other kids. Can you tell us a little bit about how all the other kids dealt with their grief? ELIZABETH CONROW: Sure. I know at the time when Amanda was diagnosed, my oldest was 9, and my youngest was 9 months. So everybody was pretty little. And they went through that at a really young age. And then when she passed, my oldest was 11 and my youngest was 3. So they were still little. And they had been through what I consider to be significant trauma in those early years. And when things first happened, I mean, I had a therapist describe it to me as a children's mobile that hangs over their bed you know, that once it becomes imbalanced, it just tips on its side. And that's the way things felt at home for quite a while. You know, just nothing felt right and things felt out of order. But kids are so resilient and so forward looking. And my kids really did beautifully through it. And I had someone tell me, well, kids are going to revisit grief. And they're going to come back to it from time to time. And it'll surprise you. And I will say, that's so true. You know, I would think everything was going along OK and everyone was coping well. And then, my daughter Jessica, who was closest in age to Amanda, would come down at 10 o'clock at night in tears because she was thinking about her sister. And that would catch me a little bit off guard. And my oldest just went away to college. And she's now 18. And she's had some conversations with me lately just about everything they went through and really revisiting some of her feelings about it all. And so they don't really get over it. But helping them to kind of process it and work through it and really, just talk about her. We talk about her constantly. She's a part of everything we do. We still make her a birthday cake. So we just keep her memory alive and celebrate her life together. But grief for kids is certainly different, and it doesn't end. But they are definitely forward looking and really can handle more than I think sometimes we give them credit for. SPEAKER 4: And your husband and you I hear have also been involved in some activities to talk about this publicly or teach others. What was that like for you as parents? ELIZABETH CONROW: There are a few things that we've really wanted to help move forward in terms of childhood cancer awareness and things that people can do to really help bereaved parents. And I think there's just so much that people don't know or understand. Many people don't realize how underfunded childhood cancer is. So it just means a lot to us to be able to kind of get that message out now. SPEAKER 4: I imagine there's so much work to do. And as we've had this great opportunity to chat about Amanda to remember her, to think about your experience and the amazing work you seem to be doing-- are there any final comments that you want to share with our listeners? ELIZABETH CONROW: It's an honor for me to really share this experience. And that bereaved parents need support, and they need to know that people care and remember, even as time goes on. So just take good care of those who know who are grieving. And love one another. SPEAKER 4: Thank you so much. This is Liz Conrow, author of Access Denied, published in Journal of Clinical Oncology. Thank you very much. Until next time. SPEAKER 1: Until next time, thank you for listening to this JCO's Cancer Stories, The Art of Oncology podcast. If you enjoyed what you heard today, don't forget to give us a rating or review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. While you're there, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. JCO's Cancer Stories, The Art of Oncology podcast is just one of ASCO's many podcasts. You can find all of the shows at podcast.asco.org. [MUSIC PLAYING]

Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge talks about the value in getting support for grief on social media. Episode 1065: Does Joining a Grief Support Group On Facebook Help by Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge on Grieving on Social Media Grief Refuge experiences are facilitated by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy; with an emphasis on presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered-care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. The Grief Refuge app is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey. The original post can be found here: https://medium.com/wholistique/does-joining-a-grief-support-group-on-facebook-help-98b449acac0 Upstart considers your income and current employment to find you a smarter rate for your loan. Find out how they can lower your monthly payments today when you go to Upstart.com/ORD Please Rate & Review the Show! Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com and in The O.L.D. Facebook Group Join the Ol' Family to get your Free Gifts and join our online community: OLDPodcast.com/group Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting

Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge talks about the value in getting support for grief on social media. Episode 1065: Does Joining a Grief Support Group On Facebook Help by Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge on Grieving on Social Media Grief Refuge experiences are facilitated by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy; with an emphasis on presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered-care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. The Grief Refuge app is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey.  The original post can be found here: https://medium.com/wholistique/does-joining-a-grief-support-group-on-facebook-help-98b449acac0  Upstart considers your income and current employment to find you a smarter rate for your loan. Find out how they can lower your monthly payments today when you go to Upstart.com/ORD Please Rate & Review the Show!  Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com and in The O.L.D. Facebook Group  Join the Ol' Family to get your Free Gifts and join our online community: OLDPodcast.com/group Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge shares 3 ways to set clear boundaries when you're grieving Episode 1025: 3 Ways to Set Clear Boundaries When You're Grieving by Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge on How to Grieve Grief Refuge experiences are facilitated by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy; with an emphasis on presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered-care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. The Grief Refuge app is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey. The original post can be found here: https://medium.com/wholistique/3-ways-to-set-clear-boundaries-when-youre-grieving-7a06141c1a6 Calm is offering a special limited time promotion of 40% off a Calm Premium subscription at Calm.com/ORD Please Rate & Review the Show! Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com and in The O.L.D. Facebook Group Join the Ol' Family to get your Free Gifts and join our online community: OLDPodcast.com/group Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting

Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge shares 3 ways to set clear boundaries when you're grieving Episode 1025: 3 Ways to Set Clear Boundaries When You're Grieving by Reid Peterson of Grief Refuge on How to Grieve Grief Refuge experiences are facilitated by Reid Peterson, MA. Reid achieved a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, 2007) and is trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy; with an emphasis on presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered-care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. The Grief Refuge app is a daily companion to help navigate your grief journey. It provides comfort and solace in a time of need. With daily audio musings and a tool to track your grief progress, it helps you cope with loss and feel supported throughout the journey.  The original post can be found here: https://medium.com/wholistique/3-ways-to-set-clear-boundaries-when-youre-grieving-7a06141c1a6  Calm is offering a special limited time promotion of 40% off a Calm Premium subscription at Calm.com/ORD Please Rate & Review the Show!  Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com and in The O.L.D. Facebook Group  Join the Ol' Family to get your Free Gifts and join our online community: OLDPodcast.com/group   Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show we welcome Reid Peterson. Reid has a Master's Degree in Transpersonal Psychology, and was trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid works as a Grief companion, and has also launched the Grief Refuge App and podcast. After the passing of his stepfather in 2016, Reid spent time in local support groups. This influenced him to create a means of grief support on a larger, more broadly reaching scale. We loved our talk with Reid. His gentle demeanor and wisdom made for a very special conversation. Please download the Grief Refuge app, we can't recommend it enough. Thank you Reid, and to all you lovely folks out there, take care of yourselves and each other.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Processing by becoming a member!Processing is Powered by Simplecast.

In this episode, Reid shares how surprised he was about the level of grief he experienced after his step-fathers death and how it brought to surface grief from his Dad's death from years earlier.Reid Peterson achieved a Masters's Degree in Transpersonal Psychology at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in 2007. He was later trained by Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition. Reid's approach utilizes Dr. Wolfelt's Companioning philosophy, emphasizing presence, nature, spirituality, and heart-centered care for the bereaved. Reid is the 'voice' of Grief Refuge: narrating Podcast episodes and The Daily Refuge on the Grief Refuge App. Reid is also the facilitator to the Grief Refuge experiences.Learn more about Reid and Grief RefugeSupport the show (https://healgrief.org/donations/)

In this episode, author of Persevering for Peace, Jamie Sokoloff shares her journey through her grief after the tragic loss of her father. She talks about how she made it  through the dark days that followed and the moment that she decided to start living again.  Jamie Sokoloff is the author of Persevering for Peace, an animal and nature lover, vegan, optimist and founder of Rick's Run Canada.  Follow Jamie on InstagramFollow Ricks Run on InstagramSign up for Rick's Run hereFind Jamie's book here

This week, Adam sits down with pastor and author Tim Timberlake. Tim shares his story of losing his father at 18, and the two talk about stewarding our time well, why we need community, the purpose of pain in our lives, Tim's advice for walking through grief and loss, and so much more in this amazing episode.Get a copy of Tim's book, The Power of 1440 here: amzn.to/3f8YfwZJesus Calling by Sarah Young: amzn.to/3f9vmB0Grief One Day at a Time by Alan Wolfelt: amzn.to/3eA6wuWEmotionality Healthy Spirituality by Pete Scazzero: amzn.to/3tlZS0MThe Chosen: /bit.ly/3eIx8tX

In this episode I introduce ~ The Mourner's 6 Reconciliation Needs, as outlined by Dr. Alan Wolfelt. I speak to each of them, and how they've helped me on my grief journey. They are as follows: 1. Acknowledging the reality of the death. 2. Embracing the pain of loss. 3. Remembering the person who died. 4. Developing a new self identity. 5. Searching for meaning 6. Receiving ongoing support from others.

In this episode, I draw upon the knowledge and insight of authors Alan Wolfelt, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, and David Kessler. I touch on five myths that need to be dispelled in relation to grief and mourning. As always, my wish for you is Healing and Hope.

Being an activist brings an emotional burden. The issues we deal with are intense, difficult and sometimes without any immediate solution. And often, we try to deal with these issues through logically planning a strategy and communicating issues using words. It's an intellectual process, but with a lot of underlying emotional baggage. Elisa Lee has some thoughts about how to get under the intellect to connect with ourselves and people in our communities on a deeper level. She, and many other people involved in grief work, think that it's important to deal with the full range of emotions ranging from anger and fear to hope and joy. Lee bases a lot of her work on the groundbreaking work of Joanna Macy. Macy turned 91 on May 2, and is still connecting with people on issues of environmental activism and grief. Throughout her life, she has been a spokesperson for the anti-nuclear movement, peace, justice and environmentalism. She has created a framework for both personal and social change and has created a workshop methodology to help people move work with social change in a way which helps them connect with their deeper selves.  Lee's current activism focuses on community grief rituals and nature-based rites of passage for girls and adults. Both grief rituals and rites of passage profoundly changed her internal world, creating a strong foundation of embodied being that continues to guide and nourish her through life. A big part of that sense of being is getting beyond the intellectual processes which help us explain the world to ourselves and others, but does not get to the root of our reactions to the complex issues that we all face in these difficult times. For the past 15 years, Lee has been promoting personal development in collaboration with nature as a specialist teacher in ecological education, a self-care facilitator, and a rite of passage guide. In addition to the teachings of Joanna Macy, Lee draws on teachings from Alan Wolfelt, Francis Weller, Martin Prechtel, Animas Valley Institute, The School of Lost Borders, The Haven, and her personal sacred experiences in the wild. She holds a masters degree in environmental education with a focus on women's rites of passage and is the founder of Fire & Flower, a rite of passage organization for girls. On today's rabble radio, Elisa Lee talks to Victoria Fenner as part of rabble.ca's series on Climate Hope in the Time of the Pandemic. Image: Elisa Lee

Dan Pierce: Join me and Dr. Alan Wolfelt from the Center for Loss & Life Transition in Colorado for a discussion on grief; what it takes to overcome an unbearable loss; and how to support others who have experienced a significant loss. Connect with Dr. Alan on the Center for Loss website (https://www.centerforloss.com/). Email Dr. Alan directly at DrWolfelt@CenterForLoss.com. Join us in the Mentally Fit Community for more discussion and support (https://joinmentallyfit.com).

Episode Description: In this episode, some of the most common myths and misconceptions about funeral directors and the funeral service industry are explored. Tune in to learn the role of the funeral director, options for final disposition after a loved one dies and how the funeral director supports the grieving process.   Show Description:  Join your hosts, Jenni Brennan, LICSW and Josh Brennan, CTBS, and explore a variety of topics including grief, parenting, health and wellness, and relationships.    Show Notes: Center for Loss and Life Transition, Dr. Alan Wolfelt: https://www.centerforloss.com/grief/funerals-and-ceremonies/   Funeral Consumers Alliance: https://funerals.org/?consumers=common-funeral-myths