The Greater Trail Hospice Society can help with Loss and Grief

The Greater Trail Hospice Society (GTHS) will be running a series of Grief Support Training workshops in November aimed at those journeying with people who are grieving or those who work, or want to work, with those who have experienced loss and grief.

“Grief is natural, it’s a process we all have to handle at some point in time and it’s one of life’s biggest challenges but it can be hard to know how to comfort someone who is grieving,” says Brenda Hooper, Chair of The Greater Trail Hospice Society. “It’s also a very individual experience.  Everyone has their own timeline and their own way of dealing with it.  There is no right or wrong way to grieve,” she adds.

The universal human experience of grief can be challenging, take much longer than expected, and have a significant impact on the body, mind and spirit. It can also be triggered by loss - from divorce, retirement or miscarriage to the loss of a job, financial stability or just selling a home.

Explaining why the GTHS felt the need to launch training support for the grieving community, Hooper says: “The pandemic has resulted in an increase in grief, both from death and changes in how we live. For many, this grief process has been delayed with not being able to properly acknowledge and honor our losses. Grief is catching up with them and they need help.”

This experiential course will provide participants with theoretical and practical approaches to use with grieving adults. There will be the opportunity to enhance and practice skills, to reflect upon personal experiences of loss and bereavement and to learn how to help grieving people talk about their feelings and reactions.  By the end of it, they will discover how to support those who are struggling to cope, know how to help bereaved people grow through their grief and find meaning in the loss and in life as it is now.

The Grief Support Training course costs $30 to include lunch and books.  It spans three consecutive Saturdays and will be held on November 5th, 12th, and 19th from 9am to 3pm at the Trail United Church Hall on Pine Avenue. To register call 250-364-6204.

Head to trailhospice.org to find out more about grief, its myths and what you should know about grieving people.  Details of its adult and children’s grief groups as well as one-on-one bereavement support are also available on the website.

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