Research consistently shows that people who have compassionate social support and a sense of belonging cope much better after loss, so we certainly have a responsibility to explore with our clients what their experiences are of social support. Social location and...
Sometimes we’re asked by grief support professionals why we don’t teach Elizabeth Kubler Ross’ “5 stages of grief” model in our Creative Grief Support Certification course. One of the reasons for this is because of what Kubler Ross’ model leaves out. With its focus on...
At some point in our 4 months together, there is always a discussion about the grief support practitioner’s role. Is it okay to give advice? What is it that people are really coming to us for and hoping to get out of our time together? Is it okay if we too are...
A case study One client – experiencing his first significant loss – described his grief experience as a kind of parallel universe he’d been transported across to. We’ll call him Anthony. Everything from Anthony’s old life was there in the parallel...
We’ve all come across the “Grief Olympics” at some point in our personal or professional experiences of grief support. The grief olympics is based in a myth we here at The Creative Grief Studio call “the Hierarchy of Loss.” The Hierarchy of Loss involves societal and...
One of the uncontroversial ideas you’ll find across many different approaches to grief support is the idea that social support matters. When grievers feel connected to and supported by others, their grief outcomes are better than those who typically struggle most in...
