Our Walk and Talk sessions are lead by trained facilitators, Donna Ross and Jen Brooker, who are dedicated to guiding participants through their grief experience. Over the course of 8 weeks they lead our group through Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning, engaging participants with thoughtful and compassionate discussion.

At the New West Hospice Society we understand that grief is not linear, what can be fine one day can be devastating the next. By adopting these tasks we aim to provide participants with a framework to address their grief, no matter how heavily it sits today.

Task 1: Accept the Reality of the Loss

The beginning of the grieving process begins with acknowledgement that the person has died. Through rituals we can come to gradual realise the emotional significance of the loss.

Task 2: Process the Pain of Grief

We may feel a whole range of emotions when processing pain – sadness, anger, guild, loneliness, and numbness. By allowing space for these feelings we can engage through talking, writing, crying, art making, or any form of expression that helps emotions move.

Task 3: Adjust to a World Without Your Person

Learning to live without someone can sometimes be a difficult transition. We may grapple with old routines and new realities, asking big questions as we work towards understanding what life looks like after loss.

Task 4: Find Lasting Connection While Re-engaging in Life

As life carries on, we can find comfort in carrying the memories of loved ones forward into the future. By creating new routines, forming new relationships or discovering a new hobby we learn to maintain an enduring bond without being held back from living a full life.