You Don't Need To Keep It Together
I get it. Grief doesn't follow the rules everyone tells you it should. There's no timeline, no "right way" to do this, and no amount of time that magically makes it better.
I've spent 15+ years walking alongside people through loss as a Care Aide, Palliative Care Social Worker, and now as a Grief Counsellor. I've sat with thousands of people navigating grief and loss, and heard what matters most when everything else falls away. That experience taught me how to hold space for the messy, complicated, and deeply personal process of grief.
I Know What It's Like
When I lost my friend to brain cancer, I thought something was wrong with me. I couldn't cry at his memorial. I was numb and couldn't focus. I questioned if I was even grieving "properly."
Six months later, when my Grandma died, everything broke open. I cried like I'd never cried before and felt the physical pain of my heart being ripped apart. My grief didn't fit the 5-stage model, and time wasn't healing anything.
But when I got support that met me where I was (without judgment, without timelines, without pressure to "move on") everything changed. I stopped apologizing for my tears, my anger, the way my body held pain. I stopped making myself smaller to make others comfortable. Life was too short to live for everyone else.
That experience taught me something crucial: grief isn't about letting go. It's about finding ways to live while still holding on to the people we love. You don't have to choose between moving forward and keeping their memory close.
That's why I work the way I do: at your pace, making space for grief that doesn't follow anyone else's path.
You Shouldn't Have to Explain Yourself
I'm Filipino, Queer, Christian, and also explore spirituality beyond traditional religion. These identities don't always sit together easily, but they're all part of who I am. I know what it's like to navigate spaces where parts of you aren't reflected or understood. Grief is already isolating. You shouldn't have to explain who you are on top of everything else you're carrying.
You deserve to be fully seen.
How I Help
I'm here for you. The sudden shock of loss. The slow goodbye of illness. The complicated grief of substance use or suicide. The weight of living as a marginalized person in systems that weren't built for you.
We'll take the time you need. There's space for every feeling: sadness, anger, guilt, relief, love that doesn't go away. We'll find what's meaningful to you and how to carry your grief without it crushing you.
There's room for you here.
Eliezer Moreno, MSW, RSW
Registered Social Worker #13793
Education and Certifications
Central Okanagan Hospice Training, 2017
Master of Social Work, University of British Columbia, 2018
Registered Social Worker, 2018, #13793
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