Tag: grief support

EOLPodcast

Ep. 540 Helpful Things to Say to Someone Grieving with Shelby Forsythia

kwyattmd

Learn how to support a grieving person by choosing the best words to say that will actually make a difference.

My guest Shelby Forsythia is a grief coach, author, podcast host, and the founder of Life After Loss Academy, an online course and community for grievers. She is the author of Your Grief Your Way, Permission to Grieve, and her latest book Of Course I’m Here Right Now: Three Actually Helpful Things to Say to Someone Grieving. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Oprah Magazine. Learn more at her website:

shelbyforsythia.com

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Shelby became a “student of grief” who views loss as a perpetual teacher
  • Three common internal narratives that grieving people face
  • Three simple but transformative phrases to use when supporting someone
  • Why words are the most accessible tool for support of someone grieving
  • The need for grief literacy to prevent the secondary loss of friendships during times of grief
  • The “three Ds“ of grief
  • What is the “second wave of grief”
  • The lack of grief literacy on social media

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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 481 Help Texts: Text-Based Grief Support with Emma Payne

kwyattmd

Learn about effective, personalized grief support that arrives via text message and how this innovation is a game changer for caregivers, healthcare workers, and the bereaved.

My guest Emma Payne is the founder and CEO of Help Texts, which provides private grief, caregiver, or mental health support via personalized text messages. On this episode, Emma’s second guest appearance, she will discuss what’s new on the Help Texts platform and the data they’ve been gathering about the efficacy of grief-informed texting. You need to know about this tool if you work anywhere in the end of life as a means of offering support to people who are grieving, caregivers and healthcare workers. This is a game-changer! Learn more at the website:

helptexts.com

Get a discount with this link

YouTube Channel

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What inspired Emma to create Help Texts
  • Why text messaging is an ideal delivery method for grief support, as validated by neuroscience
  • How Help Texts messages are customized and personalized to each person who signs up by many different experts in this space
  • Why the cost of Help Texts is less than one hour of therapy
  • Research shows remarkable efficacy of these messages
  • Why people supporting grievers are also included in receiving helpful messages and reminders by text
  • The ripple effect of helping people become “grief literate” one text message at a time
  • How hospices and other organizations are signing up to gift Help Texts to the families they work with
  • Help Texts for healthcare workers and caregivers
  • Support is also now available for pregnancy loss, pet loss, and mental health issues

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu,  and to Molly Byock for making a donation through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 408 Soaring Spirits: Support for Widowed People with Michele Neff Hernandez

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Learn about a valuable organization that provides peer support and resources for people grieving widowhood.

My guest Michele Neff Hernandez is the founder and CEO of Soaring Spirits International, a non-profit organization providing peer support programming for widowed people worldwide. Michele has received local, state, and national recognition for her work in founding Soaring Spirits. She is also the author of Different After You: Rediscovering Yourself and Healing After Grief or Trauma. She shares why it’s important for grieving people to be able to connect with others who have experienced a similar type of loss and how the programs offered by Soaring Spirits meet that need. Learn more at these websites:

www.micheleneffhernandez.com

www.soaringspirits.org

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What inspired Michele to start Soaring Spirits
  • Why Soaring Spirits uses a broad definition of the word “widowed”
  • How widowhood may differ from other types of loss and grief
  • The timeframe of widowhood and how the needs of grieving people can vary at each juncture
  • Tips for those who are newly widowed
  • How grieving people benefit from being connected to others who have experienced similar losses
  • Programs Soaring Spirits has created to support people experiencing widowhood
  • Michele’s book and how it benefits readers

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 375 Touching Two Worlds: Finding Hope After Loss with Sherry Walling PhD

kwyattmd

Learn how our grief touches the two worlds of sorrow and joy and how we can navigate these turbulent times.

My guest Dr. Sherry Walling is a clinical psychologist, speaker, podcaster, author and mental health advocate. She helps entrepreneurs and leaders navigate transition, loss, and complex human experience. Sherry is the author of Touching Two Worlds: A Guide for Finding Hope in the Landscape of Loss, a poetic exploration of grief informed by two very personal losses in her own life. She discusses the presence of both sorrow and joy within grief and how her own life has been reshaped by the grief she has experienced. Learn more at her websites:

www.sherrywalling.com

www.touchingtwoworlds.com

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What inspired Sherry to write this book
  • The experience of compound grief and “death by heartbreak”
  • The “two worlds” of grief
  • How grief changes us and why it’s important
  • How Sherry’s two grief experiences differed – after cancer and after suicide
  • The guilt experienced by medical professionals when a loved one dies
  • Coping with a suicide death
  • Parenting children while going through grief and teaching them about loss
  • How various forms of movement can help us with grief
  • The art of crying on airplanes
  • Grief requires us to rewrite our assumptions about the world

Links mentioned in this episode:

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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Marsha for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 373 Speaking Grief: On Divorce, Pet Death, and Other Losses with Lindsey Whissel Fenton

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Learn about some educational webinars to help unique groups of people learn about grief and also why we need to pay attention to grief after all types of loss.

My guest Lindsey Whissel Fenton is a senior producer and director at WPSU, the PBS/NPR affiliate station in Central Pennsylvania. She produced, directed, and wrote the documentary Speaking Grief, which we discussed in our previous interview. Today Lindsey shares how Speaking Grief continues to educate about grief in new sectors and also talks personally about her own recent losses. Learn more at these websites:

www.lindseywhisselfenton.com

www.speakinggrief.org

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Speaking Grief continues to help people “get better at grief”
  • New webinars created by Speaking Grief initiative to reach service professionals, young grieving adults, neurodivergent grieving people, and underserved communities
  • Why it’s important to educate people about grief in all walks of life and all occupations
  • How to access the webinars at no charge
  • Lindsey’s personal journey with grief
  • Why grief over loss other than death is still grief
  • What to say to a friend after divorce
  • How pet death is often overlooked in our society though the grief it causes is significant
  • How grief-aware people do a much better job of supporting others in their grief
  • A new app to remind friends to check in with the grieving person they are supporting

Links mentioned in this episode:

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Donate on Paypal

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Don Sambol for making a donation through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 345 Grief Coach: How Text-Based Support Can Help with Grief with Emma Payne

kwyattmd

Learn how personalized text messages can help with the grief process for the bereaved and their support persons.

My guest Emma Payne is a seasoned entrepreneur and MIT graduate who is the founder and CEO of Grief Coach, a company that provides meaningful support to those who are experiencing loss and bereavement. She shares how Grief Coach offers personalized text messages to people who are grieving and to their support persons and why it is so effective. Learn more at the website:

www.grief.coach

Read the transcript

Watch on YouTube

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This episode includes:

  • What inspired Emma to create Grief Coach
  • Our society lacks education about grief, particularly in challenging situations
  • How Grief Coach works
  • What types of loss and grief are supported through Grief Coach
  • What changes occurred for Grief Coach as a result of the pandemic
  • Sources for the tips and suggestions that are provided by text message
  • Research behind text-based grief support and why it is effective
  • How Grief Coach includes supporters of the bereaved in their messages
  • How Grief Coach works with hospices to offer benefits to their bereavement programs
  • How Grief Coach also helps clinicians manage end-of-life situations and deal with their own grief on the job
  • Grief Coach can be given as a gift to a bereaved person

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patrons Morgan Rakay and Patti Stueland! Your contributions make all the difference.

EOLPodcast, Grief

Ep. 313 Technology and Grief: The Grief Refuge App with Reid Peterson

kwyattmd

Learn about an innovative new smart phone app that provides connection and inspiration for people experiencing grief.

My guest Reid Peterson is the creator of Grief Refuge, a website which provides tools, resources and support to help navigate grief’s lonely journey. He has also created the Grief Refuge mobile phone app that provides daily support to people in grief. He discusses how technology can help us overcome loneliness and isolation during the grief process and shares what he has learned about Grief Companioning through his training. Learn more at the website:

www.griefrefuge.com

Get the free app here.

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Reid was inspired to create Grief Refuge
  • How an app can provide support during the grief process
  • Who can benefit most from using the Grief Refuge App
  • The unique features of the app
    • Journal
    • Intentions
    • Reflections
    • Podcast
    • Ask the Author
    • Daily Refuge (w/ paid subscription)
  • What is Grief Companioning
  • Why Grief Companioning is more helpful to some people than traditional therapy
  • How to get the Grief Refuge App and start using it

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!

EOLPodcast

Ep. 304 How Men Grieve: The WE GRIEVE Community with Karl Shackelford

kwyattmd

Learn how men grieve differently than women and about an online community where men can find support.

My guest Karl Shackelford is a board-certified chaplain who spent many years working with hospice patients. He is also a certified HeartMath® trainer who helps those struggling with the effects of stress, anxiety and adversity to build resilience. Karl is the founder of We Grieve, which is an online community where grieving people come together to heal. Today he’ll share how he created that community and why he went on to start a grief group specifically for men. Learn more at the website:

www.wegrieve.net

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How COVID became a catalyst for the formation of the online We Grieve community
  • Why Karl decided to start a grief group for guys
  • How men grieve differently than women
  • How our society has shamed men for their emotions and failed to support them in their grief
  • Why men benefit from a men-only grief group
  • How HeartMath® tools help people who are grieving
  • A simple HeartMath® exercise to use in the moment
  • Weekly free grief workshops offered online by We Grieve
  • How to “gift” a membership in We Grieve to someone who is grieving
  • How to become a facilitator for We Grieve

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!

EOLPodcast, Grief

Ep. 263 Speaking Grief: A Film to Help Us Get Better at Grief with Lindsey Whissel Fenton

kwyattmd

Learn about a beautiful film and online initiative that teach our grief-avoidant society how to be in touch with grief and how to support those who are grieving.

My guest Lindsey Whissel Fenton is a film producer and Emmy award-winning storyteller who is passionate about using public media to build empathy. She produced, directed and wrote the documentary “Speaking Grief” and contributes to the initiative by the same name with a desire to explore the reality of grief and create a more grief-aware society. Learn more at the websites:

www.speakinggrief.org

www.lindseywhisselfenton.com

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Lindsey became inspired to create a documentary about grief
  • Why Speaking Grief is important right now in light of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Why we tend to avoid the topic of grief and the harm that causes
  • How to be with people who are grieving
  • The diverse range of grief experiences and why all grievers need to be validated
  • The resources available on the Speaking Grief website:
    • Understanding grief
    • Supporting grief
    • Stories of grief
    • Grief experts
  • Where to view the film
  • How to arrange a screening for a discussion group

Links mentioned in this episode:

  • Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
  • Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
  • Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!

End of Life, EOLPodcast, Grief

Ep. 224 How to Help Children With Grief and Talk to Them About Death with Joe Primo

kwyattmd

Learn why we need to do a better job recognizing and helping with the experience of grief for our children.

My guest Joe Primo is the CEO of Good Grief, an education and advocacy organization for grieving children. He is the author of the book What Do We Tell the Children: Talking to Kids About Death and Dying and in this interview discusses how the way we talk to children about death can shape their experience of grief throughout their lives. His insights are especially helpful as we approach the holiday season where grief tends to rise to the surface for all of us. Learn more about his work at this website:

www.good-grief.org

Get the book here.

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What we are getting wrong in our approach to grief with children
  • How grief can be good
  • How addressing grief openly can help us address other issues in our society
  • Teaching moments for talking about death with children
  • Why cliches and euphemisms about death are not helpful
  • Why teachers and other support people need to be educated about childhood grief
  • Why grief should be revisited with children as they grow and develop over the years
  • Tips for parents to teach children about death
  • Hospice workers and medical personnel should educate themselves about talking to children about death
  • Why attending a funeral can help establish continuing bonds

If you’re old enough to love, you’re old enough to grieve.

Joseph Primo – Good-Grief.org

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest Patrons: Sherrill Shimek, Linda Read, Elisabeth Cascada Rogolsky, Hilary Walker, and Joanna Brown; your contributions make all the difference!