Grief is a deeply painful, lonely, and isolating experience.

Grief is the normal and natural reaction to loss of any kind. When someone we care about dies, our relationship ends in divorce, or we experience any of the other 40 forms of loss, we often feel unprepared and ill-equipped to deal with our emotions. Those who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous or People of Colour) may experience additional situations that can lead to grief, such as direct and indirect experiences with racism and discrimination, or leaving your home country behind to immigrate to Canada. It is  important for BIPOC folks to have a safe space to gather and connect, process their grief, and be seen and heard in a group that makes them feel represented.

You may be grieving due to one or more of the following

• racism/racial trauma

• discrimination

• racial identity struggles

• racial microaggressions 

• hate crimes

• immigration

• loss of culture or language

• colonization

• intergenerational trauma

• loss of childhood

• loss of trust, safety, or control

• loss of faith, religion, or spirituality 

• death

• divorce or romantic break-up

• loss of health, illness, or injury

• financial/career struggles

• infertility or pregnancy loss

Among the many normal reactions we experience after loss include,

• emotional and physical exhaustion

• loss of energy, motivation and reduced concentration

• numbness and isolation

• self doubt/self blame 

• changes in eating and sleeping, and

• a rollercoaster of emotional energy

Sadly, a majority of us have not been taught how to heal our emotional pain after loss.

Instead, we are told to “move on”, “keep busy”, “be strong”, “wait for time to heal” or, “get over it” which further isolates us in our pain and distracts us from our healing.

The wonderful news is, grief does not have to be a life sentence of suffering.

There are actionable tools that can help you to move beyond the pain and heal your grieving heart. Run by two women of colour, our transformational BIPOC GRM support group offers a unique opportunity to be a part of an inclusive, accessible and culturally informed grief group where you can examine what you’ve been taught about loss, explore your beliefs about grief, and complete a set of actions that will enable you to move forward in your life with hope. We infuse anti-racism, cultural safety and cultural humility into this group so that it can feel relevant and tailored to your unique life, culture and/or racialized experience.You are so worthy and deserving of this space to heal, grow and learn, through safety and partnership, with support that is filled with love, compassion and empathy.

In this workshop you will have the opportunity to,

• Expand your understanding of what grief is and the various types of loss that can create feelings of grief

• Deepen your understanding of the emotional, physical, cognitive, and spiritual impact of grief

• Strengthen your foundation of healthy grieving and coping

• Demystify and modify limiting beliefs about effective recovery from loss

• Communicate your emotional truth regarding your losses

• Share your story in a safe, confidential, and supportive space

• Identify the losses in your life that are emotionally incomplete

• Deepen your self-awareness and your awareness in relationships

• Identify the emotional and behavioral habits that are not serving your healing

• Assume new ownership in your healing and in your life

• Take action to emotionally complete your relationship with a person who died, from whom you are now divorced, or any other circumstance

• Develop lifelong strategies to complete other losses in your life

• Renew your sense of hope and purpose in life

• Feel heard and seen by others without judgment, criticism, or analysis

Your facilitator for this 8-week group is Reena Samra.

Your investment for participating is,

$295 with registration by January 20th, 2023 with a sliding scale available.

If you have financial barriers to being able to afford the cost of this group, please reach out to us so we can make a plan for accessibility of this group for you.

You will receive the details upon registration. Participants are responsible for ordering The Grief Recovery Handbook in advance of the group start date.

To register for this group, please complete the group application here.

For questions or inquiries please call 780-288-8011 or email theorchards@healmyheart.ca. 

Whether you are grieving due to a recent loss or a loss from long ago, it is never too soon or too late to heal your heart.