Grief Out Loud

The Dougy Center
  • 4.6 (280)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED MONTHLY
Grief Out Loud Podcast

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

    SEP 6

    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
  2. Honoring A Great Love - Canada Taylor

    AUG 30

    Honoring A Great Love - Canada Taylor

    Twelve years ago today - August 30th - Canada Taylor was having an amazing night. She and her husband Rick were sitting outside, talking about life and work and dreams for the future - their future. Then everything changed. Rick had a medical event, and Canada became his first responder. Hours later, she became his widow. In the twelve years since, things continued to change. Canada's two sons grew up and grew into their grief. She changed the course of her career - moving from behavioral health to suicide prevention and grief justice. Throughout all these changes, Canada has found ways to honor who Rick was in this world and the love they share.   We discuss: What Canada's husband saw in her that no one else did The last day they spent together Being a first responder for Rick & the trauma that brought Supporting her two children  The challenge of finding culturally relevant grief support for her kids How difficult it was to find skilled support for herself A preview of how grief informs the work Canada does in the realm of suicide prevention & postvention How Canada plans to honor the anniversary of Rick's death this year Connect with Canada on IG @canadalauren and Linkedin

    55 min
  3. My Long-Term Relationship With Grief - Barri Leiner Grant & The Memory Circle

    AUG 8

    My Long-Term Relationship With Grief - Barri Leiner Grant & The Memory Circle

    When Barri Leiner Grant was 28, her mother Ellen died suddenly. Barri was hit with intense grief, but back then the expectation was to hurry up and get back to work and life. She didn't have the time, space, or tools to acknowledge and attend to grief. Over the past 31 years, Barri and her grief have gotten to know each other on a deep level. In this long-term relationship, she's learned that her grief gets louder each time she reaches a new milestone or faces a transition. Even with that knowing, the grief can still find ways to catch her off-guard. Recently, one of those times was watching her daughter turn the same age Barri was when her mother died.  We discuss: How Barri's mom, Ellen, was a woman before her time The day her mother died and the last sounds she heard What the early days of grief felt like The untenable expectation to get back to "normal" Finding Hope Edelman's book, Motherless Daughters The grief tending tools Barri turned to over the past 31 years Her daughter turning the age Barri was when her mother died The newer grief of being a caregiver for her father who has dementia How The Memory Circle came to be and Barri's work as a grief coach One of Barri's favorite ways to engage with grief - writing Barri Leiner Grant is the founder and Chief Grief Officer™, of The Memory Circle for grief support--a place and space she created in 2019, for those learning to live with loss. She left a longtime career as a journalist and motherloss peer guide, to pursue full-time work and training as a Certified Grief Coach and Educator. Connect with Barri on Instagram and Substack.

    50 min
  4. How They Died Matters, A Daughter's Story - Kari Lyons-Price, MSW

    JUL 24

    How They Died Matters, A Daughter's Story - Kari Lyons-Price, MSW

    Sometimes we can't really begin to understand grief - ours or anyone else's - if we don't have space to talk about the death. The context surrounding how someone died matters and can shape our grief in meaningful ways. This was true for Kari Lyons-Price, MSW, who was a caregiver for her parents, Hal and Sylvia, for many years. They died three years apart, her dad in 2019 and her mom in 2022, and the circumstances of their deaths greatly impacted Kari and her grief.  We discuss: How her parents lived - and how they each died Why their death stories matter when it comes to grief The anger and resentment in the immediate aftermath of her father's death What she's done to come to terms with the circumstances of each of their deaths The role advocacy and education in the realm of care facilities played in that process Making decisions about her mother's care in light of how her father died and the pandemic The ongoing, slow nature of grief when someone has a long-term degenerative illness What it's meant to no longer be a caregiver for her parents Overcoming her family's narrative of autonomy and learning to accept support in grief Where Kari finds her foundation now

    51 min
  5. 108 Ways To Survive Grief - Sweta Vikram

    JUL 17

    108 Ways To Survive Grief - Sweta Vikram

    In May of 2023, Sweta Vikram was overwhelmed with grief. In the span of three days, her father died, her father-in-law died, and it was the  9-year anniversary of her mother’s death. When she looked for information on how to survive the maelstrom of emotions, she found reassurances that she would eventually get to the other side, but nothing that showed her how to do that. So, Sweta set out to create the resource she was looking for and recently published, The Loss That Binds Us, a manual with 108 practical tips to survive and navigate grief.   We discuss: The overwhelm of multiple losses  Turning to writing for solace and support Lessons she learned from each of her parents The impact of sudden vs. expected death Becoming a protector & caregiver for her dad - and the comfort that brought after he died How grief shaped Sweta's values The meaning behind the number 108 across multiple cultures How she managed to finish her PhD in Ayurvedic Medicine so early in her grief Which of Sweta's tips are the easiest and hardest for her to follow Her relationship to forgiveness in the context of grief How she approaches the anniversary season Sweta's self-care practices Sweta Srivastava Vikram is an international speaker, author, and Ayurvedic Doctor who also teaches yoga and meditation.

    40 min
  6. Embodied Practices For Tending Grief - Camille Sapara Barton

    JUL 11

    Embodied Practices For Tending Grief - Camille Sapara Barton

    Camille Sapara Barton is a social imagineer who is reimagining how we define and relate to grief. As a writer, artist, and somatic practitioner, Camille is looking to create a new grief narrative expansive enough to include multiple forms of individual and collective grief, especially for queer, trans, and BIPOC communities. In Camille's book, Tending Grief, they offer rituals and embodied practices for feeling into and metabolizing grief.  Camille's lived experience with grieving death & non-death losses Support for grief that falls outside the traditional box Grief as a generative process Camille's learning from Dagara spiritual traditions and Sobonfu Somé Collective grief that comes out of displacement, colonization, and threats to queer & trans people around the world How we numb our grief and the cost of doing so The narrative Camille is hoping to create around grief Examples of embodied practices to tend grief  Be sure to check out Camille's new book, Tending Grief - Embodied Rituals for Holding Our Sorrow and Growing Cultures of Care in Community.

    38 min
  7. Is There A Cure For Grief? - Cody Delistraty

    JUN 26

    Is There A Cure For Grief? - Cody Delistraty

    Cody Delistraty is a journalist and he's also a son whose mother died of cancer. These two identities intersect in his new book, The Grief Cure, which chronicles his quest to find a way to eliminate the pain of grief. After exploring Laughter Therapy, silent meditation, Breakup Bootcamp, and other avenues for grief expression, Cody landed where so many others do: realizing the "cure" for grief is allowing it to exist, while still engaging with life.  We discuss:  Who Cody was when his mom died How he used to define "successful" grief The secondary losses connected to his mother's death How his relationship to the 5 Stages of Grief evolved over time The quest to "cure" grief and the options he explored Which grief memory Cody most wished he could erase How important community can be Learning to embrace both grief and an ongoing connection with his mother Cody Delistraty is a journalist and speechwriter in New York City. As a journalist, he has written stories, profiles and essays for The New York Times, The New Yorker and The Atlantic, among many others. He has served as culture editor at The Wall Street Journal‘s magazine and as features editor of the Paris-based magazine Mastermind.

    43 min
  8. The Ripple Effect Of Loss In Portland's Black Community - Sharice Burnett, LCSW

    JUN 19

    The Ripple Effect Of Loss In Portland's Black Community - Sharice Burnett, LCSW

    It's impossible to speak for an entire community, especially when it comes to grief, but Sharice Burnett, LCSW, knows a lot about the ripple effect of loss in the Black and African American community in Portland, OR. Born and raised in the community, Sharice is a clinical mental health therapist and consultant dedicated to naming and dismantling the larger systemic barriers that stand in the way of Black children and families having access to culturally relevant support, particularly mental health and grief support.  We discuss: Grieving the loss of an entire generation of elders during the Covid-19 pandemic The grief and displacement from the Vanport Flood of 1948 The cultural nuances of grief Historic, intergenerational, and collective grief The unacknowledged grief of racism How each death & loss ripples out to the larger Black/African American Portland community How safety from racial harm is critical to accessing grief support services Sharice's hopes and dreams for creating more culturally relevant grief support Creative grief support & healing spaces for Portland's Black community (Black Rose Wellness)  This episode is the third and final in our 2024 three-part series highlighting the voices of communities who have historically been underrepresented in the grief world. The series is part of an ongoing collaboration between Dougy Center and The New York Life Foundation. We are deeply grateful for New York Life Foundation's tireless support and advocacy for children and teens who are grieving.

    47 min
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4.6
out of 5
280 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
    302
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Grief Out Loud

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