Grief Out Loud

The Dougy Center
  • 4.6 (11)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED FORTNIGHTLY
Grief Out Loud

Remember the last time you tried to talk about grief and suddenly everyone left the room? Grief Out Loud is opening up this often avoided conversation because grief is hard enough without having to go through it alone. We bring you a mix of personal stories, tips for supporting children, teens, and yourself, and interviews with bereavement professionals. Platitude and cliché-free, we promise! Grief Out Loud is hosted by Jana DeCristofaro and produced by The Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families in Portland, Oregon.

  1. 17 HRS AGO

    Grieving While Parenting - Reshma Kearney

    When Reshma Kearney's husband Sean died of suicide, her immediate concern was their three young children. She needed to figure out how to talk to them about his death - and his life - all while meeting their emotional and physical needs. Pretty quickly she realized her needs also had to be met so she could keep showing up for them. Reshma and her kids had an established mindfulness practice before Sean's death and those practices became integral for tending to their grief and finding ways to keep engaging with life.  Note: this episode discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out. You can call 988 or text HELLO to 741-741.  Connect with Reshma on IG. Listen to her kids on Ep. 303: Let's Hear It For The Kids - Grief In Their Own Words.

    44 min

  2. 9 NOV

    They Are Part Of Our Family - Grieving A Pet

    In May of 2024, Christine Passo's beloved dog, Maya Ray, took her last breath in Christine's arms. This wasn't the first time Christine experienced loss or trauma, but the grief she felt and continues to feel for Maya Ray caught her off guard with its intensity and depth. We talk about Maya Ray's last day, how Christine's other dog, Zoe, grieved, and how Christine and her partner are finding ways to continue honoring Maya Ray's life and her place in their family.  Christine Passo is a coach who specializes in supporting women through life changes, many of which come with grief. She is also the co-author of My Fur Baby Wrote This Book and host of the Unconscious Evolution podcast.  Be sure to check out our previous episode on grieving for a pet - Ep. 238 "These Relationships Matter."

    51 min

  3. 1 NOV

    Let's Hear It For The Kids - Grief In Their Own Words

    In honor of Children's Grief Awareness month, we asked kids and teens to talk about grief in their own words. This compilation episode includes clips from children and teens reflecting on their people who died, their varied responses to loss, and what they hope grief will feel like in future.  Thank you to all the children and teens who contributed to this episode - and to their parents and caregivers for facilitating the recording process.  Want to learn more? Register now for Too Young To Grieve? Dougy Center's Children's Grief Awareness Day webinar. Thursday, November 21st, 2024 - 10 - 11:30 am PST  Be part of our #UnderstandGrief campaign Follow November's Flip The Script posts on social media

    25 min

  4. 18 OCT

    Losing Them More Than Once - When Your Ex Dies

    No one is perfect and no one is just one story, but how do you grieve when the person who died was so different than the person you fell in love with? When Jenn met and fell in love with Jesse, she never imagined their relationship would unravel due to his struggles with mental health and alcohol use disorder. Jesse died in 2020 and Jenn's been left to reconcile the man she loved with the one she eventually had to leave. His death also left her unsure where her grief fits in the world of bereavement and how to support their son, whose grief is complicated by the impact his father's illness had on their relationship.  Dr. Jennifer Vriend is a Licensed Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychologist and co-host of The Coping Toolbox podcast.

    49 min

  5. 14 OCT

    "We Never Talked About Her Again" - Susan Lieu & The Manicurist's Daughter

    Susan Lieu, is a Vietnamese-American author, playwright, and performer. When Susan was 11 years old, her mother died from a routine plastic surgery. After she died, Susan's family stopped talking about her mother, leaving Susan on her own to figure out what happened and how to feel. Susan's debut memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter, recounts her quest to get to know her mother, avenge her death, and try with all her might to get her family to open up about it all. Susan is a compelling and accomplished storyteller, co-hosting The Model Minority Moms podcast and speaking at TEDx, the Smithsonian, and at universities and companies across the country. Her memoir is an Apple Book of the Month, most anticipated 2024 book by Elle Magazine and Goodreads, and has been featured on The New York Times, NPR Books, and The Washington Post. Read her press here.  Follow Susan on IG @susanlieu

    53 min
  6. Grieving The Relationship We Didn't Get To Have - Maegan Parker Brooks, PhD

    2 OCT

    Grieving The Relationship We Didn't Get To Have - Maegan Parker Brooks, PhD

    It's our 300th episode and this conversation with Maegan Parker Brooks, PhD, is the perfect one to honor that milestone. Maegan is an Associate Professor at Willamette University and a volunteer at Dougy Center where she facilitates a peer grief support group for adult caregivers of teens who are grieving. Maegan is also a daughter and sister, grieving the deaths of her father, her sister Emily, and her mother. In this conversation we talk about grief and estranged relationships, relationships impacted by substance use, non-death losses, memorialization during the pandemic, and all the ways we talk to one another - and ourselves - about that grief.  Maegan Parker Brooks, PhD is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Civic Communication & Media Department at Willamette University. At Willamette, Maegan teaches courses in Death and Grief Communication and facilitates the Diversity of Loss grief support group. Beyond Willamette, Maegan co-facilitates a group for adult caregivers of grieving teens at The Dougy Center and she recently earned a certificate in Arts-Assisted Grief Therapy at the Portland Institute for Loss & Transition.    Related Articles: Brooks, Maegan P. "Listening to Grief." Willamette., 1 Feb. 2024, pp. 20-21.  Brooks, Maegan P. “Listening to Layers of Loss.” Journal of Autoethnography, 4, 2 (2023): 174-192.   Want to help us celebrate our 300th episode? Be sure to follow the show and give us a rating/review on whatever platform you use to listen!   Grief Out Loud®  is a production of Dougy Center, The National Grief Center for Children & Families.

    49 min
  7. Is This Normal? Getting To Know Grief With Kendra Rinaldi

    19 SEPT

    Is This Normal? Getting To Know Grief With Kendra Rinaldi

    Kendra Rinaldi knows a lot about grief. When she was just 21, her sister died in a car accident. Ten years later she had a miscarriage. Ten years after that, her mother died of cancer. Professionally, she is a grief guide and host of the Grief, Gratitude, and the Gray In Between podcast. But she didn't always get grief. When she was 21, she didn't realize that everything she was thinking, feeling, and experiencing after her sister's death counted as grief. In the years since, Kendra's gotten to know her grief well and uses that knowledge to support others.    We discuss: The spectrum of losses Kendra's experienced Grieving her sister's death in a car accident Grieving a miscarriage Grieving her mother's death from pancreatic cancer What can be different between a sudden death vs. one from a long-term illness Discerning grief from depression Writing as a tool for navigating grief and staying connected to her sister How Kendra's sister's death shifted family dynamics Tri-lingual grieving - and why Spanglish is her favorite language for grief How grief is approached differently in the U.S. and Kendra's home country, Colombia The origin of the Grief, Gratitude, and the Gray In Between podcast The hardest aspect of doing a podcast about grief Kendra's recent sneaky grief attack Follow Kendra on IG @griefgratitudepodcast Want to help with our special Children's Grief Awareness Month episode? If you have a child or teen in your world who is grieving a death who would like to participate, you can record a voice memo of them responding to one or more of the following prompts and email it to griefoutloud@dougy.org When my ____ died, I felt... When I'm missing them, ____ helps the most Today, my grief feels like... In the future, I hope my grief feels... Thank you for considering!

    55 min
  8. Building A World Worth Living In - Trends In Suicide Prevention & Postvention

    6 SEPT

    Building A World Worth Living In - Trends In Suicide Prevention & Postvention

    It might be better to ask Canada Taylor what she doesn't do in the realm of suicide prevention, postvention, and grief support rather than what she does because she seems to do just about everything and anything. This is part two of our conversation with her, so if you missed the first, Ep. 297: Honoring A Great Love, be sure to listen. In this episode, we talk about the holistic  approach she takes to suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. An approach that focuses on building a world worth living in. A world where youth - and people of any age - have their basic needs met and can access safety, community, and true belonging.  We discuss: Some of the professional roles Canada holds What is different for grief professionals and educators when the topic of suicide arises The changing landscape of suicide prevention & postvention How systems and institutions can create barriers to more humane and effective interventions What we still don't know when it comes to suicide How stigma, shame, and isolation contribute to suicide - and the harm they cause for those left behind Risk factors for youth suicide, especially for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ youth Protective factors like belonging, safety, and community Why cultural & community specific prevention & intervention strategies are necessary What the headlines get wrong about youth suicide The pockets of hope Canada's come across in the field Since 2005 Canada Taylor has worked in behavioral health care serving youth and adults, with a focus in deathcare and helping families navigate grief, loss, and trauma amidst crisis. Relational, restorative, and transformative approaches are key underpinnings to Canada’s holistic, integrative philosophy to creating change and healing for all. Currently she is the Suicide Prevention Coordinator and Postvention Response Lead for the Multnomah County Health Department. Canada was honored with the Trillium Health Mental Health Hero award in 2021 and Multnomah County's Committee Choice Award in 2024 for her work in grief and suicide prevention. Grounding spaces in humor, authenticity, and vulnerability are essential to Canada’s professional and personal life, and especially her work in suicide prevention.    Organizations we reference: School Crisis Recovery & Renewal Network (SCRR) SAMSHA Black Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition National Suicide Prevention Month If you are someone you know is struggling, please reach out Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988 Trans Lifeline: 877.565.8860 YouthLine: 877.968.8491  BlackLine: 800.604.5841 LGBTQ National Hotline: 888.843.4564  The Trevor Project: 866.488.7386

    1h 1m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Remember the last time you tried to talk about grief and suddenly everyone left the room? Grief Out Loud is opening up this often avoided conversation because grief is hard enough without having to go through it alone. We bring you a mix of personal stories, tips for supporting children, teens, and yourself, and interviews with bereavement professionals. Platitude and cliché-free, we promise! Grief Out Loud is hosted by Jana DeCristofaro and produced by The Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families in Portland, Oregon.

Information

  • Creator
    The Dougy Center
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2024
  • Episodes
    309
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Grief Out Loud

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