15 years in
End-of-life, Palliative care, and
Grief & Loss support
How it Started
In 2009, I became a Care Aide and was sent to a Client’s home at the end of her life. I didn’t know she would become the first of many who would share their life story with me. And she didn’t hold anything back. She talked about falling in love, living with illness, mistakes and regrets, her dreams, and sometimes a memory would fill the room with laughter.
Learning About Grief
While in graduate school, I started volunteering with the local hospice association and learned how to support the bereaved and those at the end of life with the Companioning Model created by Dr. Alan Wolfelt. I then continued my training with the Grief Recovery Institute and the Center for Prolonged Grief (FKA Center for Complicated Grief). I have been privileged to work as a Palliative Care Social Worker and Grief Counsellor to support hundreds of people through loss.
Eliezer and Grandma, 2014
My Personal Grief
I learned over social media that my friend had died. I wasn't able to focus on work and started to clench my jaw at night. I was emotionally numb and wasn't able to cry at his memorial. I thought something was wrong with me.
Six months later, I got a message that my Grandma had a medical emergency and I needed to say goodbye. And then the tears came. I cried like I had never cried in my life and felt the physical pain that my heart had been ripped apart. Only with support was I able to hold onto what matters, my love and appreciation for those I care about.
Education and Certifications
Central Okanagan Hospice Training, 2017
Master of Social Work, University of British Columbia, 2018
Grief Recovery Specialist, 2018
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Individuals, 2018
Motivational Interviewing Foundations, 2021
Complicated Grief Therapy, 2021
Prolonged Grief Disorder Therapy, 2022
Emotionally-Focused Family Therapy, 2023
Continued workshops through the Hospice Foundation of America