“We turn to other people who have been through similar experiences to help us understand what they mean for us, what their dwelling place in our lives and memories might be.
When we believe that the only place…healing can occur is in a therapist’s office, we miss how very powerful and healing we all are for each other.”
-MaryCatherine McDonald, PhD
Hi. It is so good to have you here.
I offer two forms of grief tending: in grief circles and one to one.
It feels very precious for me to come alongside others on their grief journeys. It’s a companionship that I always longed for in my darkest days and years of process. Connecting over this real and sacred part of life is something we all need. There is no hierarchy of grief. We all belong, and need grief spaces that allow our sorrows to be heard and witnessed.
Loss comes in many forms, and though some may be more glaring than others, some of my own secondary losses (or what seemed like less significant losses in my life), were in desperate need of attention and spaciousness.
I have lived with, wrestled with and been witnessed in my own anticipatory, cumulative, acute, secondary, delayed and complicated grief. Each of these colours of grief affect us differently, and I find it important to name them. Being held in the depths of my grief is a medicine that will continue to reverberate inside me, and is part of the container I hold. Another’s embodiment reminds you (and me) to trust the quiet wisdom of the body.
What does it look like to be held in a container with me?
I offer grief companioning, as a guide and mentor using creative and embodied practices to attune to your grief.
I am a loving witness to your story, offering support that is not reliant on any one practice or bias.
We will spend time talking. As this is a relational container, my role is to encircle you in care and tenderness. The initiation into grief can feel powerful, lonely or overwhelming and I want you to know you will not be alone. My hope is that we will soothe and greet these lonely places, together.
Your story impacts me. Though I hold space, I am not withholding tenderness, authentic emotion nor am I offering strategies to “fix” you.
There are two creative forces I lean on: writing and dance. Intentional movement and music have been essential allies for me in my grief tending. As much of our grief is alive in our bodies, this is a potent way to feel it and move it through. Writing is a gentle portal to our voice. The act of sharing our work with others can feel freeing, bold and illuminating. Some of your exploration may include leaning into these forces.
Together, we will help you weave your way back to your grief, allowing more room for it to flow through you, so you can find a sense of rest and belonging within yourself.
I utilize the senses whenever possible. I’ll gently direct you in the art of noticing, so we can find more aliveness and curiosity toward the world around and within you. This is both stirring and soothing in our grief.
I am not a mental health practitioner and do not offer a psychological framework for your grief.
