When you see someone you know who’s recently had a death in their family, do you feel a brief moment of panic wondering what to say or do?
If you would like to better understand how to support yourself and others through loss and grief, come to a free public workshop, “Good Grief: I Don’t Know What to Say,” on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Botanical Garden’s Pavilion.
“Those who are grieving tell us that, despite our good intentions, people who tried to support them have often missed the mark,” said Esme Stokhuyzen, a bereavement leader with the Sunshine Coast Hospice Society. She has facilitated more than 25 grief groups over the past 10 years, as well as supporting many individuals.
“For years, we thought that after a loss, people go through the ‘five stages of grief’: denial, anger, bargaining and depression until they find some kind of closure,” she said. “We now know this way of thinking about grief is not very helpful.”
Based on her training and years of experience, she observes that “those who are grieving are in the process of forging a new kind of relationship with the person they’ve lost. The relationship is not over; it’s transformed.”
“Good folks often ask us what they should say or do, to be supportive to one who is grieving,” said Stokhuyzen, who will be leading the workshop later this month.
Workshop participants will better understand what the experience of the grieving person is, and learn practical and helpful things to say and do in the days, months and years following a death.
This workshop is part of the public education program of the Coast Hospice and is possible, thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary. To RSVP or for more information, call Hospice House at 604-740-0475 or email info@coasthospice.com
– Submitted by Denis Fafard
