There’s something about the way we talk about closure that makes it sound like a place you eventually get to. Like if you think about it enough, or process it the right way, or give it enough time, there will be a moment where it all settles. Where it makes sense. Where it stops pulling … Continue reading We Talk About Closure Like It’s Something You Can Find
Stepping away from work that feels meaningful is not as straightforward as people think. There’s this assumption that if you leave something you cared deeply about, there must be a clear reason, something obvious, something easy to point to. But that’s rarely how it unfolds from the inside. More often, the work still matters. The … Continue reading When the Work Still Matters, But Something Else Doesn’t Fit
Somewhere along the way, “trauma-informed” became a branding strategy. It appears in mission statements, conference presentations, Instagram bios, and job descriptions. The phrase signals compassion. It signals awareness. It signals that we understand something about the impact of trauma. But I keep finding myself wondering whether we are actually practicing trauma-informed care, or whether we … Continue reading Have We Lost the Plot with Trauma-Informed Care?
There’s a conversation that happens quietly in helping professions. It happens in hallways after hard meetings. In texts between colleagues late at night. In that moment when you sit in your car after work a little longer than usual because you are not ready to bring the day inside your house yet. It usually starts … Continue reading When Caring Starts to Hurt: Systems, Burnout, and Staying Whole in Helping Work
One of the most common worries I hear from grieving people is this quiet, uneasy question: Am I supposed to still feel this connected? Many people carry an unspoken belief that healing requires letting go. That at some point, love should loosen, the connection should fade, and grief should become something smaller and more distant. … Continue reading Continuing Bonds: How Love Persists After Loss
For many years, grief was often described as a process of letting go. The message, sometimes spoken and sometimes implied, was that healing meant detaching from the person who died in order to move forward. For many grieving people, that idea never quite fit. The love did not disappear, and neither did the relationship. Continuing … Continue reading Continuing Bonds: Staying Connected After Loss
This time of year arrives with a familiar script. Lights appear. Calendars fill. Traditions return, often without asking whether we are ready for them. For many people, this season is meant to feel warm and meaningful. And yet, for many others, it feels complicated, heavy, or quietly exhausting. That does not mean something is wrong. … Continue reading When the Season of Joy Feels Harder Than Expected
A framework for understanding the work of grief Many people worry about whether they are “grieving correctly.” They wonder if they are stuck, behind, or doing something wrong because the pain hasn’t eased the way they expected. John Worden’s Tasks of Mourning offers a helpful reframe. Instead of seeing grief as a set of stages … Continue reading Worden’s Tasks of Mourning:
National Grief Awareness Week arrives each year as a reminder of something most people walk through quietly. For many, grief lives underneath everyday life, shaping how they move, what they notice, and how they connect with others. In my work with families who have lost a child suddenly and without warning, grief is not an … Continue reading National Grief Awareness Week: What It Means To Me
A gentle look at the five stages, how they actually show up, and why the model is both helpful and misunderstood The five stages of grief are something most of us hear about long before we ever experience a loss that cracks us open. The words float around in conversations, books, movies, and social media … Continue reading Understanding the Kübler-Ross Model in Real Life
