Experienced Clinician and Educator

Elizabeth started her career as a Youth Worker in 1993, while serving as a Crisis Intervention Volunteer at the Toronto East General Hospital (1994-1999), and Volunteer Crisis Counsellor at the Halton Rape Crisis Centre (1995-1999). After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts; a Community Work Diploma; a Bachelor of Social Work; and Master of Social Work, she began working in General Internal Medicine at the Toronto Western Hospital (1999). Inspired by the emotional aspects of caring, Elizabeth began serving as a Counsellor and Group Facilitator (in 2000) for Wellspring, a network of free community-based cancer centres, and joined the Psychosocial Oncology Program at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, providing support from diagnosis, to end-of-life.

In 2001, Elizabeth was appointed as the first Palliative Social Worker at the largest cancer treatment centre in Canada, and a proud member of the interprofessional team from its inception. She specialized in therapeutic interventions with individuals and families on the Acute Palliative Care Unit and the Palliative Outpatient Clinics. Wanting to broaden access to Palliative Care, Elizabeth launched her community-based private practice in 2015, supporting people of all ages facing complex illness, uncertainty and grief.

Elizabeth highlights compassion and communication in the context of illness, uncertainty and loss. She designs and teaches workshops for continuing education, is a Palliative Educator with Acclaim Health and Pallium Canada, and collaborates on initiatives advocating for high quality Palliative and end-of-life care. Elizabeth is a Senior Lecturer with the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University, a community partner with the Children and Youth Grief Network and an Assistant Clinical Professor with the Department of Family Medicine, Division of Palliative Care at McMaster University.

Elizabeth volunteers and collaborates to offer free resources and events exploring living, dying, loss & grief. As part of her compassionate community volunteer initiatives, she is a Community Partner with The Children and Youth Grief Network and The 100% Certainty Project. Death: Something to Talk About. Elizabeth also facilitates free Death Cafés and supported resource development as a contributor to free resources with Canadian Virtual Hospice, including KidsGrief.ca, YouthGrief.ca and KidsGrief for Educators. Elizabeth was incredibly honoured to volunteer as a Clinical Lead with Camp Erin Toronto, an extraordinary free bereavement camp for kids and teens.

Media conversations featuring C. Elizabeth Dougherty

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