I am honoured to deliver the national webinar, “Exploring Grief and Moving Forward After a Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis” for Wellspring as they partner with Pancreatic Cancer Canada in support of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.
Pancreatic Cancer is often found in later stages because it has relatively few symptoms and is statistically one of the worst cancers for treatment and survival. Anticipatory grief is one of the many unique challenges encountered following a Pancreatic Cancer diagnosis as 70% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer do not survive past the first year, which means a Pancreatic Cancer diagnosis can be traumatic for patients and families.
In this webinar we will define Anticipatory Grief and explore some universal sources of grief, while demystifying and acknowledging different types of loss, and consider how we uniquely metabolize grief. Lastly, we will highlight some resources for support and explore considerations for self-care.
It is National Grief and Bereavement Day in Canada
The third Tuesday in November marks National Grief and Bereavement Day in Canada. Especially on this day, the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) encourages Canadians to engage all sectors of society in dialogues to raise #awareness, identify and #support access to a range of necessary resources for anyone facing loss, grief and bereavement.
Reach Out, Support the Grief Journey. When someone we know is faced with grief, we can often find ourselves at a loss for words. We may be unsure of how to support friends, family, or colleagues going through a difficult journey. But here’s the truth: You have the power to make sure they are not facing grief alone. Our actions can provide solace and connection when needed most.
National Grief and Bereavement Day calls upon all of us to reach out and move alongside those around us on a grief journey. It’s a day to take action, to be present for someone who needs support, even when words fail. For those who may feel uncomfortable with grief, who never quite know what to say, or are uncertain about what to do to help, there are things you can do, big or small, that can make a world of difference for someone in your life who is grieving.
Reaching out with simple gestures of kindness can make a profound #impact. Small but thoughtful actions can bridge the gap between isolation and healing. Even when it feels as though there’s nothing you can say, your actions speak volumes to people in your life navigating grief and loss.
Together, let’s break the silence surrounding grief. Let’s move alongside those around us on a journey with grief. Join us on National Grief and Bereavement Day as we collectively learn to reach out, offering genuine support and compassion to those around us.
Source: CHPCA
Children's Grief Awareness Day (CGAD).
CGAD seeks to raise awareness of the painful impact that the death of a loved one has in the life of a child or teen, and provides an opportunity to make sure that these children and #teens receive the support they need. In just one year, over 203,000 of Canada’s 7.5 million youth under 18 will experience the death of someone in their extended family.
1 out of every 14 children and teens will experience the death of a #parent, #caregiver or #sibling who lives in their home. These youth experience the ripple effect of multiple losses…
The death of a parent, caregiver or sibling has been found to be one of the most stressful life events that a child or youth can experience. Therefore it is important to provide children with information about grief, normalize their responses and encourage them to share their thoughts and feelings.
Children are often the hidden mourners in our society with little attention being paid to their bereavement needs. Every child has different needs, perspectives and understandings of what death means. Therefore it is important to provide children with information and education on death and grief as well as normalize their responses and encourage them to share their thoughts and feelings.
It is challenging to parent a grieving child when parents are themselves grieving. Grief is often isolating and consuming. Having access to resources and supports can help families feel connected and equipped to face their grief together.
Visit The Canadian Alliance for Children's Grief (CACG) for more information or resources. CACG is the first Canadian national group of professionals working together to ensure the accessibility of bereavement support and information to grieving children, teens and their families. Resulting from a collaborative effort amongst agencies and service providers across the country, the CACG seeks to address the barriers experienced by organizations providing services to grieving children and youth and strengthen the support offered to local communities. Source: CACG
FREE Individual Student Bereavement Plan
Returning to school can be a time of tremendous grief bursts - both expected and unexpected: from completing emergency contact forms after a parent/caregiver has died (is dying) or absent in any capacity; seeing families together when a parent or sibling is in hospital, hospice or is no longer present; witnessing the range of emotions when people talk about summer experiences filled with joy and connection when grief, loss, an accident, illness and absence has been their experience instead… While not readily visible, grief will continue to influence the life of a student impacted by loss (as they live with navigating the ongoing impact of grief & grieving).
You can access the FREE Individual Student Bereavement Plan via NACG
“This document is a resource for supporting students returning to school after they have experienced the death of a significant person in their lives. When a student returns to school, they may feel alone and challenged by the task of engaging with their daily routine. Schools are in a unique position to provide support for students with thoughtful plans specific to the individual’s needs. Students grieve developmentally, and their needs are unique and changing throughout the days, months, and years ahead. Those students that need and receive grief support have improved outcomes socially, emotionally, and academically.” Source “Individual Student Bereavement Plan”
Source: NACG
C. Elizabeth Dougherty Consulting Newsletter: Fall 2022
I am pleased to share my Fall 2022 Newsletter highlighting educational opportunities and my clinical work serving individuals, families, and healthcare providers facing complex illnesses, uncertainty and grief.
Exploring the Role of Social Work in Palliative Care
So grateful to speak with my friends and colleagues Drs. Hsien Seow and Sammy Winemaker on their podcast The Waiting Room Revolution.
We explored the role of Social Work in Palliative Care, the value of proactive and compassionate person and family-centred support following diagnosis of any serious illness, exploring loss and grief through to end-of-life and bereavement, creating space for essential conversations, and the healing power of silence.
Follow their podcast for essential tips and tools to navigate the healthcare system following diagnosis of a serious illness. To listen to our conversation, click here
10 for 10: Ten Activities for when emotions run high
10 for 10: Ten Activities for when emotions run high via NACG The Dougy Center & KinderCare
Parents and Caregivers, you can encourage use of this worksheet in a few different ways:
Children and teens can use it to choose any activity when their emotions are running high (a supportive reaction).
You can ask them to refer to it regularly and choose self-care activities at any time (a proactive response).
Children or teens can mark off the activities they do throughout the day/week (promoting a sense of accomplishment).
They can create and choose their own activity to help self-regulate (encouraging self-compassion & creativity).
They can also design their own self-care worksheet (exploring empowerment).
Source: https://childrengrieve.org/12-resource/309-resources-2
C. Elizabeth Dougherty Consulting - Fall 2021 Newsletter
I am honoured to share my Fall 2021 newsletter including resources for individuals and families of all ages facing a complex illness, following diagnosis through to bereavement. I am also grateful to also share my teaching experiences including: undergraduate and graduate Social Work Education; undergraduate Medical Education; and Interprofessional Education for healthcare providers exploring informed conversations, honouring person and family-centred care, demystifying grief, and advocating for palliative care.
Thrilled to host "How We Talk About Grief" at gritLIT!
Am truly honoured to host “How We Talk About Grief” on behalf of The 100% Certainty Project. Death: Something to Talk About for gritLIT 2021. I am thrilled to meet both Dakshana Bascaramurty and Christa Couture and explore their experiences with loss and grief as we discuss their exquisite memoirs.
An all-too-familiar certainty, grief is an emotion that’s difficult for most of us to put into words. In This Is Not the End of Me, Dakshana Bascaramurty documents the final years of a husband and father diagnosed with terminal cancer at age 33. In How to Lose Everything, Christa Couture shares her own excruciating loss, including the amputation of her leg as a cure for bone cancer and the death of two children.
Join me on April 18th at 2pm as I ask these brilliant authors to discuss the challenges of talking and writing about grief and how the process of doing so helps with healing.
#gritLIT2021
C. Elizabeth Dougherty Consulting Newsletter Winter 2021
Honoured to share my Winter 2021 newsletter including resources for individuals and families of all ages facing a complex illness, from diagnosis through to bereavement. Grateful to also share undergraduate and graduate Social Work education, along with medical education and interprofessional education for healthcare providers demystifying palliative care.
Free M.A.i.D Bereavement Support Group (online)
This Virtual MAiD Bereavement Support Group is free and offered to anyone (+18yo) in Ontario following the death of a loved one via MAiD. While we wish we could offer this group in-person, the support will now be provided online in light of COVID-19 restrictions.
Am grateful to be part of the development team and one of the co-facilitators for this group. This group is being co-facilitated by myself and a spiritual care provider and is limited in that we can only offer unilingual support (English speaking). We also appreciate this means that someone must have access to a phone or WiFi and understand that not everyone has that luxury.
People can self-refer. The program will run for 4 weeks starting November 25th. We intentionally take a break over the holidays and reconvene to offer the remaining 4 weeks in January to continue to process and honour the range of loss experiences and explore compassionately moving forward.
The contact information for self-referral is on the attached poster. Spaces are limited. For more information, call (905) 521 2100 x73621 or email adras@hhsc.ca
November 17th is National Bereavement Day 2020 in Canada
Grief and bereavement support is an essential element of care for individuals and families of all ages.
This year, the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) invites Canadians on a shared journey that fosters compassion and encourages them to cope with their grief by supporting each other through living and grieving. We might be physically distant, but grief brings us together. We learn to live with the loss and grief in ways that maintain and honour our bond with the person who died but don’t limit our capacity for joy, pleasure and a meaningful life. At this trying time, we might be physically distant, but we are emotionally, spiritually and socially connected through our grief. Source: CHPCA
For more information, visit: CHPCA
Support for Grieving Young Adults (ages 18-30)
Actively Moving Forward® (AMF) is a network created in response to the needs of grieving young adults (ages 18-30) and is connecting, supporting, empowering grieving young adults to “actively move forward” in memory of their person.
Now, a FREE AMF app offers new ways to connect!
“You’ll have full access to facilitated virtual support groups, tools, resources, reading, videos, supportive quotes, community engagement via direct messaging, group chats, posts and interactive comment boards. Group members may be tagged by person in their life that died so that members grieving a similar death loss can easily find each other.”
Time to connect on a whole new level. Deepen friendships, engage with groups, simplified chats, find events, webinars and a host of other valuable and helpful resources.
To register for this app and access FREE bereavement support, visit Actively Moving Forward®
COVID-19 Response – Free, Online Palliative Care Modules from Pallium Canada
Enhance your knowledge, skills, and practice in providing high-quality palliative care with these free, self-directed modules.
Pallium, in collaboration with the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), is providing access to essential education on palliative care for all health care professionals in response to this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. In these difficult times, it is more important than ever that all health care providers are equipped with the essential skills to provide compassionate, palliative care to patients in need.
Available modules
These modules are self-directed and completed at your own pace:
Taking Ownership
Advance Care Planning
Decision-Making
Managing Dyspnea
Palliative Sedation
Last Days and Hours
Additional Information
Pallium and CMA are making these 6 Learning Essential Approaches to Palliative Care (LEAP) modules available online for free to all health care professionals for 3 months (March 30 – June 30, 2020). These modules will help provide health care teams with an introduction to the palliative care approach focused on the important knowledge and skills required during the COVID-19 pandemic response. The modules are currently only available in English.
The Pallium Palliative Pocketbook can be found here. This best-selling book is a practical, one-stop resource with easily accessible information to help non-specialist physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and social workers provide a palliative care approach when needed.
Additional learning opportunities to help you expand your knowledge in palliative care can be found on Our Courses page, including our newly available LEAP Online course.
Have any questions? Email anytime at: info@pallium.ca
Source: Pallium Canada
Honoured to be a Clinical Lead at Camp Erin Toronto - a FREE bereavement camp for kids and teens
Am honoured to be a Clinical Lead for Camp Erin Toronto, an incredible FREE weekend bereavement camp for children and youth aged 6-17.
Camp Erin Toronto is provided FREE to families and is open to any child who has experienced the death of an immediate family member or custodial caregiver, regardless of cause or length of time since the death. Activities focus on providing campers with the tools needed to help them in their grief and with difficult experiences throughout their lives, while enhancing overall wellness, play and vitality.
Camp Erin gives children and youth the opportunity to meet with other grieving kids in a fun and natural environment; understanding that they are not the only ones to experience the death of someone close to them decreases the sense of isolation that many grieving children experience. Source: https://drjaychildrensgriefcentre.ca/programs/camp-erin/
As a registered charity that DOES NOT RECEIVE GOVERNMENT FUNDING, Camp Erin Toronto depends on the generosity of donors. For information, to refer or to donate, please visit: https://drjaychildrensgriefcentre.ca/programs/camp-erin/
For information on other Camp Erin locations in Canada and the U.S. visit: https://elunanetwork.org/camps-programs/camp-erin/
#BustingTheMyths about Hospice Palliative Care
It’s Hospice Palliative Care Week in Canada.
The campaign (May 5th – 11th) this year focuses on #BustingTheMyths about Hospice Palliative Care
This year, the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) designed a “Busting the Myths” campaign as a response to the need to educate Canadians including caregivers, physicians and all healthcare providers, citizens and political leaders around common myths about hospice palliative care.
The #BustingTheMyths campaign aims to empower Canadians through education by identifying and clarifying misperceptions about Hospice Palliative Care in Canada.
Working together to educate one another is a vital step in the pursuit of excellent Hospice PalliativeCare.
Source: CHPCA Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association
April 2nd is National Carers Day
About National Carers Day
In April 2010, the Parliament of Canada unanimously adopted a motion declaring the first Tuesday in April “The Invisible Work Day.” This day was designated to recognize the importance of the “invisible” unpaid work carried out by parents and caregivers on behalf of their children and aging family members, as well as the volunteer work done in the community. Recognizing that caregivers come from all walks of life and take on many roles, the first Tuesday in April is a special day where we can recognize all caring Canadians.
#NationalCarersDay
FREE family support group when a child has been diagnosed with cancer
Am honoured to be co-facilitating this FREE support group for families when a child has been diagnosed with cancer.
Each evening session begins with community-building and a light dinner is provided for all in attendance. This family support group at Wellspring is professionally facilitated and provides an opportunity for parents of children with cancer to connect for mutual support, for the sharing of ideas, for discussion and for networking. While the parents meet, the children (ages 5-13) will meet simultaneously in a separate group and focus on themed therapeutic activities designed to assist with their psychosocial needs.
Upcoming Dates:
Mon Mar 18, 2019: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Mon Mar 25, 2019: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Mon Apr 1, 2019: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Mon Apr 8, 2019: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Registration is Required. Please note: This program requires a commitment for families to attend all sessions. For information, or to register, please contact 905-257-1988 or 1-877-499-9904.
EXPLORING GRIEF AND LOSS LITERACY: SUPPORTING AND EMPOWERING SCHOOL COMMUNITIES
Am thrilled to be offering a full-day of training on Feb. 1st for the Halton District School Board on “EXPLORING GRIEF AND LOSS LITERACY: SUPPORTING AND EMPOWERING SCHOOL COMMUNITIES”
Will be honoured to be present with so many professionals as we spend the day exploring:
- Grief and Loss Literacy (related to dying, death and non-death losses)
- Stigma Related to Illness, Dying, Grief
- The Dialogue of Loss
- Support Across School Communities
- Promoting Capacity & Engagement
- Opportunities for Self-Care
Looking forward to sharing some brilliant resources!
Ways to Survive the Holiday Season When You're Grieving
"The holiday season hurts. That is just reality. Whether you are missing someone who should be part of the festivities, or you are missing someone who shared your love of quiet acknowledgment over raucous partying, this season will add some to your grief. But there are ways to make it gentler for yourself..." via Megan Devine, Refuge In Grief
To read the full article, please visit: https://www.refugeingrief.com/2018/12/14/ways-to-survive-the-holiday-season-when-youre-grieving/
