Being a Friend in Grief: Guidance for Caring Neighbors, Colleagues, & Loved Ones

Join us for this popular, impactful workshop at Carpenter Carse Library in Hinesburg on 2/18 at 7pm!

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
Loss is universal, yet grief is personal. And it can be overwhelming. How can we support those enduring loss? What can we say? What can we do? What's beneficial and what might actually be harmful?

Join community doula and grief researcher Francesca Lynn Arnoldy for an interactive workshop that will help bolster your courage to show up when others are down. We'll discuss the language of grief, including what to say and phrases to avoid, and how to offer emotional care and practical assistance to the bereaved with sensitivity, no matter the type of loss.

Topics:
-Definitions & Explanations of Loss
-Your Goal & Role as a Grief Friend
-The Language of Grief
-Paying a Grief Visit
-Effective Approaches for Offering Support

*This is not a mental health training or grief support group–it is a community education event meant to help increase our courage, confidence, and connections.

Registration is required and spots are limited. Email alex@carpentercarse.org or stop by the library to register.

KIND WORDS FROM PAST PARTICIPANTS:
"It was excellent."
"Nice flow of the workshop–gentle and thoughtful."
"Got me thinking of the process of grief and gave me some good ideas, skills, and words to use."
"Learned lots of wonderful ways to be of service to someone in grief."

INSTRUCTOR BIO: Francesca Lynn Arnoldy has been a community doula since 2009, supporting people through birth, death, and grief. She is the author of Cultivating the Doula Heart (guidebook), Map of Memory Lane (picture book), and The Death Doula's Guide to Living Fully and Dying Prepared (interactive workbook). Francesca is a published researcher with the Vermont Conversation Lab and she runs the Death Literacy Educator Course & Community. A trusted thought leader, Francesca has been featured in articles by The New York Times, Fast Company, Newsweek, The Verge, and AARP. She regularly presents on life-and-death topics with hopes of encouraging people to support one another through times of intensity. ContemplativeDoula.com.

Event Info

Feb 12, 2025, 10 AM to 3 PM

Feb 12, 2025, 4 to 6 PM

Feb 15 to 16, 2025