A GOOD TRANSITION
Death & Grief Support
Support
Loss, and the grief that follows, is never easy to navigate.
This is especially true for communities and individuals that don't have easy access to services or can't afford existing resources.
I believe that no one should die alone and that no one should remain to shoulder the grief that comes after alone.
This is where I can help.
Death and Dying Support for Individuals and Families
As an end of life coach or death doula , I assist individuals and families through this transition process according to their wishes and needs. Services can include: creating legacy projects to memorialize the person passing; assisting with death planning and advocating for client's wishes by supporting their death and dying preferences; keeping vigil during active dying, holding space for loved ones to grieve during this time and; navigating the challenges of grief and grieving with the person I serve and their loved ones.
Creative Grief Support
As a certified Creative Grief Practitioner, I assist those processing challenging emotions surrounding loss. Loss is not strictly related to death and my practice offers reflective, imaginative and unique ways to navigate your own path forward by creating understanding and meaning for your specific loss and strengthening personal connections to existing supports. Hope, Belonging and Agency are core values I seek to impart by working through various mediums and art. My practice is trauma informed and focuses on meeting my clients where they are at to help navigate complex emotions in a humble, respectful and flexible way.
Focus on People with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities
Through my years of professional, global engagement, I recognize that the most underserved populations for receiving grief, death and dying support are people with developmental disabilities. My own deeply personal experience supporting my brother through his transition emphasized the significant gap in this type of support for both the individual and the family. Trauma-related grief within the disability community is often overlooked or unrecognized. Working together, we build resilience to debilitating grief by strengthening agency, learning how to navigate emotions, and building safe, connected relationships.
Training for IDD Grief Advocates - In Progress
The experience of grief is universal; we all feel sadness and loss in our lives. However, certain sectors of society can experience grief in more profound and cumulative ways. The field of grief and loss and its impact on this community have not been fully examined despite our best knowledge that they would benefit greatly from support and targeted programs.
Those with IDD do not wish to simply be the recipients of bereavement support, they want to use their experiences to help others - their bereaved peers, family members, and staff. A targeted program to train these individuals to become peer support in their own communities is necessary, needed and desired.
A secondary, but no less important aspect of training peer grief support advocates, lies in building confidence, resilience and agency for those living within a system that can stymie this due to its inherent (yet best intent) nature of support and group living structure. Handling grief, loss and bereavement is a life skills and best delivered by those with relatable experience.