My Scope of Practice:

• Emotional, Existential & Spiritual Support in Your home: Hold space for grief, fears, legacy discussions, and honor cultural/spiritual beliefs.

• Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD): I have been providing professional support in hospitals, community settings and now with MAiDHouse Victoria to individuals and their families considering MAiD since 2017 when MAiD first became legal in Canada.

• Practical Guidance: Help with advance care planning, organizing documents, creating rituals, and funeral planning.

• Advocacy: With over 35 years supportive experience in hospitals and cancer care centers, I have the experience and training to mediate conversations, help clarify wishes, and advocate for needs within the healthcare system.

• Family Support: Help loved ones cope, provide respite for caregivers, and assist with preparing for loss.

• Legacy Work: Assist with documenting stories, creating memory projects, or life reviews. 

• Private and Community Group Bereavement Services: I Provide 1:1 private grief supportive counseling in your home - Also I facilitate virtual MAiD specific and in-person Community bereavement groups since 2016 which are available free of charge as a community service to residents of Victoria and surrounding communities - please contact me for a list of times and locations in-person groups are currently offered or to obtain the ZOOM link for the online MAiD specific grief groups.

Outside my scope of practice: (what I do not do)

• Provide medical advice, treatment, or legal counsel.

• Replace hospice, palliative care, or funeral directors, but work alongside these professionals to complement these services. 

MY APPROACH TO GRIEF, BEREAVEMENT and LOSS SUPPORT

I have provided grief and bereavement support for over 30 years in hospitals, cancer centres and in private practice. I provide a companioning approach; walking along side-of-you as you navigate your way through the intense emotions of loss creating a personal approach that is unique to you and your grief; we will explore and develop together skills for coping to lessen the all consuming pain of loss.

Grief is chaotic, perplexing, and excruciating.  Grief is like a rogue wave that knocks you off your feet and drags you like an undertow into the deep fathomless waters of an inescapable never-ending blackness of drowning and breathlessness. 

For many, grief defies verbal definition for no word or group of words can describe the experience.  Grief is circuitous and convoluted without any linear path.    

Most of us do fairly well at being compassionate towards others when they are grieving.  Many of us are actually shocked by the experience of grief; Shocked how grief has gripped us; shocked how strong our aversion is to pause and offer compassion to ourselves; We are told that self compassion is critical to ones physical, emotional, and spiritual well being. But when grief becomes our companion the words we tell ourselves can become hollow and meaningless.

 Grief is non-negotiable. Grief is messy. Grief is all encompassing. Grief demands our undivided attention; an attention that no one wants to give.

I also provide at no-cost, ongoing in-person community grief groups - please phone me for information about dates, times and locations for these groups.