Description
This series is made up of three sessions that will provide participants with the space and time to begin reflecting on their experience of loss and death. Each of the sessions builds on the others and offers participants a new imagination of working with grief and loss through a narrative and trauma-informed approach. It will create shared dialogue and learning so that people can develop meaningful strategies individually and collectively within their religious and cultural practices.
Session 1: Reflecting on the impact of the pandemic on our work and our personal and collective sense of grief and loss
Session 2: Befriending your grief and loss
Session 3: How to honour those we once served or worked alongside that we have lost collectively.
Participants will be invited to reflect personally by responding to one or more prompts and finding images/analogies to explore and safely speak about one’s experience. They will also be reflecting and sharing in the larger group about their collective experiences at work and in the broader society.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyze one’s imagination and understanding of grief and loss.
- Discuss how to look at personal and collective impacts of grief and loss.
- Reflect on one’s own grief response and how to loosen its hold.
- Explore the concept of how to keep grief from remaining stuck and how to keep it in motion.
- Develop personal self-care strategies for addressing one’s grief by increasing self-awareness
- Learn key aspects of creating unique memorials to honour people who have died.
Who Should Attend
Those that provide care for others would especially benefit from this collective sharing and dialogue. This includes those working in developmental and residential services, out-of-home and foster care and anyone that would like to explore the way in which grief and loss has impacted their lives.
Course Dates & Format
March 17, 24, & 31, 2025
1:00pm-3:30pm ET
This is a 7.5-hour training. This course consists of three 2.5-hour interactive virtual sessions using Zoom.
Instructor:
Judith McGill, Honours BA., MES
Judith is a skilled educator and facilitator with a unique combination of expertise and experience related to the developmental disability sector in community building, grief counselling and Community Deathcare Practitioner. She was the Co-Founder and Executive Director for over 20 years of Families for a Secure Future, an Independent Facilitation organization. She is a practicing Community Deathcare Practitioner and Educator in Toronto and the GTA. She is the founder of Dragonfly Collective for Community Deathcare, co-founder of Community Deathcare Ontario, founding Core Group Member of Community Deathcare Canada and facilitates their Community of Practice conversations. Judith has supported a number of people with disabilities and their support circles through the process of dying and grieving.
Training Fee
Member Fee: $220.00 + $28.60 (HST) = $248.60
Non-Member Fee: $250.00 + $32.50 (HST) = $282.50
Group Registration: Save 20% off individual fee with group registration of 4 or more participants. Download the group registration form HERE.
Continuing Education Information
Licensing boards and professional organizations will grant Continuing Education credits for attendance at their discretion when participants submit the course outline and certificate.
In-Service
This is available as an in-person or virtual in-service training and customized to suit your needs.
