“So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.” E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly,
The loss of a loved one is one of the most difficult human experiences, and grief often involves intensely painful feelings. The Dempsey Center offers the following services to help people who have lost a loved one to cancer:
Please contact us for more information.
Space to Breathe is a five-day adventure-based program designed for teenage caregivers ages 12-18 who have a parent or a sibling living with cancer or who have lost a parent or sibling to cancer. This program involves a three-day wilderness expedition and a variety of challenge-by-choice experiences including a day of high-ropes. Space to Breathe provides 24 spaces for new and returning campers and typically operates in late July or early August.
Wilderness expeditions vary each year and operate out of Camp Kieve in Nobleboro, Maine. Each program is coordinated and run by the Youth and Family Services Coordinator with safety in mind. Expeditions are led by a co-ed team of adults including at least one licensed mental health counselor and an experienced and credentialed trip leader.
Legacy and Life Reflections is available to patients living with advanced or metastatic cancer.
Legacy and Life Reflections includes:
To learn more, email Christine Brome, LCSW-cc at cbrome@dempseycenter.org.
How to Cope with Bereavement During the COVID-19 Pandemic, a good read with some concrete suggestions from Psychology Today
The Need for Self Compassion in Grief, a great article from the website What’s Your Grief
We Don’t Recover from Grief and That’s Okay, another great post from What’s Your Grief
Being There: What to Say and Do in the Aftermath of Loss, an article about supporting someone else in grief from Option B
How to Handle our Collective Grief, a Ten Percent Happier podcast episode with Sharon Salzberg that includes a guided meditation
Why We’re All Grieving – And How to Deal with It, a Ten Percent Happier podcast episode with David Kessler
David Kessler and Brené Brown on Grief and Finding Meaning, grief expert David Kessler on what he’s learned about love, loss, and finding meaning.
How to Heal By Carrying Your Grief, a TEDx talk by Nancy Berns, author, speaker, and professor of sociology
Modern Grief, a TEDx talk with Sophie Townsend, an internationally celebrated and award-winning producer
Helping Kids Grieve, resources from Sesame Street