GRIEVING LOSS MINDFULLY & WITH SELF-COMPASSION WHEN THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT HAS CHANGED - Supporting our clients with mindful approaches to loss and grief

So much has changed in this current climate and everyone has been affected by many losses.
This short course will present a mindful approach to working through loss and grief when learning new ways to cope with a changed world. Mindfulness is a way of reducing stress and anxiety in a clinically proven approach. The workshop will draw on John Kabat Zinn’s (2011) work which suggests that ‘the challenge of mindfulness is to work with the very circumstances that you find yourself in – no matter how unpleasant, how discouraging, how limited, how unending and stuck they may appear to be. It is right here that the real work needs to happen. Right in that moment, you touch the core of your being and invite mindfulness to enter and heal.’ Promoting a mindful approach to our clients and practicing mindfulness ourselves will help us to be more present to loss and grief work.

Often we can be very hard on ourselves when we experience these significant losses and are impatient with ourselves. We have trouble facing our vulnerabilities when we walk with grief. For this reason, having ‘self compassion’ is a critical component of the grief journey. As Kristin Neff, Ph.D (2015) as one of the world leading experts on ‘self compassion’ points out: ‘Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self-compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings – after all, who ever said you were supposed to be perfect?’

With simple mindfulness-based exercises we are able to restore mind, body and spirit. Experience and learn how to teach easy to follow meditations that calm the body and mind. The mindful loss and grief journey may allow a space for transforming and healing grief and finding the spiritual and emotional resilience needed to move through this challenging time. Often opportunities for making meaning and living life with more awareness can grow.

Reflecting and noticing our client’s reactions to their losses provides us with an opportunity to apply a mindfulness approach to our work. It is about becoming aware of our own triggers and pain reactions when we listen to some of our client’s stories. Learn to become less controlled by them, which in turn makes us more available to ‘be present’ with our clients. Reflect on how our own reactions can hinder us in supporting our clients to work through complex loss and grief.

Feedback from Beate’s most recent presentations for PDP: (to be updated)

“Very good!! Great info. Lots of links to resources.”

"Completely relevant to current client needs - so pleased I chose to do this."

“So much great content. Beate´ is fabulous.”

“Would have loved two days of this - I loved the pace, relevance and resources.”

“Very informative and practical – thank – you!”

“Excellent” “Fantastic”

“It was the best PDP Seminar I have attended. Informative, educational, hands on. Everyone was involved it was interactive, different variety of resources used. Really enjoyed it.”

“Great learning today. Thank you.”

“Beate´ shares a lot of relevant, hands on stories that brings reality to the theory and information. Beate´ is a wonderfully warm engaging presenter.”

“Practical, usable, and far more grounded that I had imagined!”

“Wonderful, valuable training – really opened my thinking on loss and grief leaving me feeling much more confident to support my grieving clients (and myself and family) at this difficult time."