Growing Edges
  • Home
  • Chaplaincy
    • Healthcare Staff >
      • When to call a chaplain
      • Spiritual Care for Staff
      • Spirituality
      • Grief Resources >
        • Grief & the Pandemic
      • Tending to Our Grief
      • Breathe
      • Resilience Resource
      • Chaplain's Tea
      • Prayers for Staff
      • Silent Prayer
      • Prayer Requests
      • Blessing of Hands
      • Blessing of Workspace
      • Imposition of Ashes
    • Resources for Spiritual Care Groups >
      • Leaders Guide
      • Learning Modules
      • Art Projects >
        • Healing Hands Mandala
      • Mindful Gestures
      • Community Singing >
        • Healing Breath
      • Highs & Lows Ritual
  • Couple Resources
    • Couples Class
    • Mindful Conversation
  • Art & Music
    • Van Gogh Spirituality
  • Blog

Grief Journey

Picture
Grief can feel like a rug has been pulled from under our feet. When death is unexpected, we feel shock and feel numb. It is a very disorienting process, and at times it can be a slow and painful. Even when death is anticipated and expected, it may still stun us and it may take time for its reality and finality to set in. The delay in accepting this new reality is perfectly normal.

​You may experience emotions during this time such as grief bursts, weeping, anger or despondency.  Know that these are normal, healthy responses to loss. You may also experience a loss of appetite, loss of energy, or a change of sleeping habits. Grief is not only an emotional journey; it has a physical effect upon us as well. Keep your primary care physician informed of all these symptoms you are experiencing.
    
Each person’s journey through the grief process is unique, as well as their support needs. Your grief is your own; no one else can determine how or how long you should grieve. However, there are many experiences that are similar in this process.

Reaching out for support and allowing ourselves to feel our feelings, and allowing one's grief to be witnessed by others is a step forward. Please use the resources below. Doing some readings on the topic may help normalize certain things you are going through. 

Basics

  • Myths of Grief
    • More Myths
  • Self-Care in Grief (PDF)
  • Words that signal empathy vs words that don't (PDF)
  • How to Care for a Grieving Friend (PDF version)
  • 10 Tips for Helping Others Grieve / Coping During Covid 19
  • BLOGS: (1) On Being A Good Host to Our Grief & (2) The Importance of Remembering

Online Resources

  • The 7 Best Online Grief Support Groups of 2020
  • Finding The Right Online Grief Support Groups
  • David Kessler's Grief.com
  • David Kessler: Online Grief Courses and Workshops to Remember With More Love Than Pain
  • David Kessler's FaceBook Virtual Support: Grief: Releasing Pain, Remembering Love & Finding Meaning
  • Megan Devine's Refuge in Grief
  • Grief Healing - Marty Tousley Resource Page
  • Sibling Grief Online Support Group
  • Motherless Daughters: Online Support for Women who lost their mothers to Covid 19
  • Native Americans: Grief & Loss
  • PDF: Holidays (Dougy Center)
  • PDF: Managing Complicated Grief
  • PDF: Alcohol & Grief (short article)
  • PDF: Guilt & Grief Basics
  • PDF: Guilt & Grief - Forgiving Yourself
  • Grief & Mindfulness
  • PDF: Breathing
  • PDF: Grief and Bereavement
  • PDF: Bereavement Journal for Adults ​
SUPPORT FOR CAREGIVERS OF THE ELDERLY
  • Grief Support for those with Dementia
  • Caregiver Support and Resources
  • 23 Popular Online and In-Person Caregiver Support Groups
RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN
  • The Dougy Center: The National Center for Grieving Children & Families
  • The National Alliance for Grieving Children
  • PDF: Bereavement Resource Manual (has handy "Scripts" on conversing with children - p. 10-19)
  • PDF: How Children Grieve and How Parents and Other Adults Can Support Them
  • PDF: Helping Children When A Loved One is Dying (CGC)
    • PDF: Notes on Caring for Grieving Kids After Death (from CGC)
  • PDF: Developmental Characteristics of Children's Understanding of Death​
AUTISM & GRIEF
  • Resources on Autism & Grief
  • Helping Kids with Autism Understand Death
  • Supporting Individuals on the Autism Spectrum Coping with Grief and Loss
  • Autistic Grief Is Not Like Neurotypical Grief (*has handy pointers/recommendations for caregivers)
  • Navigating Grief and Loss as an Autistic Adult
  • PDF: Autism & Grief Guide

Albuquerque Resources

GRIEF SUPPORT RESOURCES
  • List of Grief Support Groups in Albuquerque 
  • Cancer Support Groups in Albuquerque
  • The Grief Center (formerly the Children's Grief Center and Grief Resource Center)​
  • Survivors of Suicide (ABQ Chapter) 
  • Low Cost Counseling
  • Bilingual Counseling (Spanish)​
  • Community Resource Counseling (Compiled by CNM)​
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
  • Substance Abuse Resource (Compiled by CNM)
  • Addiction Recovery Resources NM 2020 (Compiled by New Mexico Department of Health - NMDOH)
  • New Mexico  Substance Abuse Resource Directory 2018 (Compiled by NMDOH)
FAMILIES OF VETERANS
  • Veterans Affairs: Office of Survivors Assistance
  • VA benefits for spouses, dependents, survivors, and family caregivers
OTHERS
  • Seniors Affairs Quick Guide 2020-2021​
  • Catholic Sacraments Hotline in ABQ for patients: 505-831-8100 (ask for Father Glenn Jones)

Crisis Hotlines

  • New Mexico Crisis Line 1-855-NMCRISIS (662-7474)
  • Agora Crisis Center 1- 855-505-4505
  • NM Healthcare Worker and First Responder Support Line 1-855-507-5509
  • Suicide Prevention - National Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233

Gallup & Grants Resources

  • PDF - Resources in Gallup & Crownpoint
  • PDF - Resources in Grants​​

Santa Fe Resources

  • PDF - Counseling Centers in Santa Fe

Poems, Prayers & Songs

  • We Remember Them / We Remember You
  • Four Candles Ceremony
  • Blessed Are Those Who Mourn Litany
  • Blessing for the Brokenhearted
  • Blessing for the Longest Night
  • When the Panic
  • Dance with a Limp​
  • Grief (by Gwen Flowers)​
  • Beannacht (A blessing for the weary)
  • Questions to Consider When Waking (Invite to step into our call/vocation) 
  • How You Loved Me​
  • The Thing Is​
  • Hey God​
  • Blessing the Seed​
  • Blessing for Healthcare Workers​

Hiring a Therapist

  • How to Find a Therapist (article on professional labels, background, education)
  • Psychology Today Search Tool  OR Good Therapy Search Tool
  • Questions to ask a therapist
  • Questions to ask a therapist before your first appointment
  • Questions to ask yourself before you officially hire a therapist​​

New Perspectives

Picture
BLOG: On Being A Good Host To Our Grief
Picture
Picture
​Donnel Miller-Mutia
- chaplain, grief support specialist, relationship educator, artist
- shares arts and skills to aid your growth in the fullness of life. 

Contact Donnel
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Chaplaincy
    • Healthcare Staff >
      • When to call a chaplain
      • Spiritual Care for Staff
      • Spirituality
      • Grief Resources >
        • Grief & the Pandemic
      • Tending to Our Grief
      • Breathe
      • Resilience Resource
      • Chaplain's Tea
      • Prayers for Staff
      • Silent Prayer
      • Prayer Requests
      • Blessing of Hands
      • Blessing of Workspace
      • Imposition of Ashes
    • Resources for Spiritual Care Groups >
      • Leaders Guide
      • Learning Modules
      • Art Projects >
        • Healing Hands Mandala
      • Mindful Gestures
      • Community Singing >
        • Healing Breath
      • Highs & Lows Ritual
  • Couple Resources
    • Couples Class
    • Mindful Conversation
  • Art & Music
    • Van Gogh Spirituality
  • Blog