Work is an essential avenue not only for creating income but also for expressing creativity, contributing to society and feeling productive and useful. When a door closes in our work life it can be quite a traumatic experience bringing into question our sense of security, meaning in life and identity.

We don’t usually think of grief in terms of job loss but it is a very real grieving experience. We often ignore it to the detriment of our wellbeing including our confidence and ability to find rewarding work.

Many years ago I made the choice to shut down a company I had built and managed for eight years. I was deeply identified with the company but I had lost heart and so chose to close it at a particularly tough time in the oilfield. As was my tendency, I just told myself I was young, I could start again, no problem. All of that was indeed true intellectually but it sure didn’t help me emotionally, nor did it allow me to actually grieve a significant loss in my life. I did get a job quite easily but I was not really able to work. I was a walking disaster. I ended up drinking and trying to find any kind of distraction I could over the next year and a half. I was miserable and didn’t have any idea what to do about it.

Then a kind soul told me very bluntly that I was a mess and I needed help. By that time there was no arguing the point, I knew it only too well but hadn’t had the awareness to admit the truth to myself.

So I went for help and the first thing I learned was that I was grieving. It was a revelation to me and it was the beginning of an amazing journey of healing and self-discovery that led me to make some big changes in my life. I went from simply working to survive to making choices that were in alignment with what was important to me and how I wanted to express myself in the world while making a living doing it.

My journey has taken me many places along the way until I finally ended up in my current career as a Life Celebrant and Certified Grief Recovery Specialist. I know there is life after loss because I learned it the hard way. That’s why it’s so rewarding to support others in realizing it to.

After some 25 years of personal development work I have found that The Grief Recovery Method is one of the most effective ways to reconcile the unresolved issues associated with loss of every kind. And so I took the training to be able to facilitate both individual and group programs to help others move beyond loss as well.
I’m happy to be able to offer these powerful programs in the greater Edmonton area at a reasonable cost so that others can benefit from this powerful program as well.