Grief Companionship

We cannot control what happens to us. All we can do is work with what happens moment to moment. - Rabbi Rami Shapiro

Have you ever considered that you and your grief, trauma, illness, loss could be held with an open heart and mind? Have you ever wondered what it might be like for someone to come alongside you in it? What if you could be honored in your unraveling? Noticed in your becoming? Witnessed in your present understanding (or desire of such) in relation to good, the God/Great Mother of your understanding and/or grief?

This, beloved, is the art and practice of Spiritual Companionship.

Why I work with grieving people

I am a Spiritual Midwife because I know grief. It was over thirty years ago when I first met it. Grief as in love, vast and overflowing, with no place to land. While this was my experience, I now know that there are many, many ways to describe our relationship with grief, trauma, illness, or loss. And, there are many ways to walk through it. Companionship is one such way. On my personal path, it has felt like a big exhale in holding chapters and stories up to the light in a safe and sacred space. It has been an honor to sit with hundreds & listen to thousands who know similar relief.

Why Spiritual Companionship?

Often, we go through some of the most complicated and tragic circumstances without the witness(es), practices, or care necessary to embody the wholeness from which we came. When life gets hard, we're at a loss on how to be present with what is and/or find higher ground. But what if there was a better way?

My role as your Spiritual Midwife is to be a mirror, window, hand, and/or door. I am a soulful friend & companion as you walk through the deep - and, as you find your own way. A journey that you want to partake in.

You are welcome here if...

• You are living with loss—named or unnamed
• You are navigating cancer, chronic illness, trauma or recovery
• You are a mother, parent, caregiver or soul-weary human
• Your journey has encompassed church hurt, religious abuse, or a shift in spiritual identity
• You work in a field that requires a lot of compassion and heart
• You need a spiritual anchor in the midst of an unraveling

Working with me

Individual and group sessions are centered on prayerful listening and response, a willingness to share your spiritual journey (with any kind of grief), and an openness to seeing how good and/or God shows up. In spiritual companionship, you are supported in tuning into your own inner wisdom. Your pain holds wisdom. Unless you ask for it, this is an advice-free space.

I presently offer:

• Individual/Couples Spiritual Direction & Companionship
• Expansive Grief & Grief Body Groups
• Grief Rituals, Bereavement Doula Care, Mentorship

What is important for you to know?

I work with all kinds of people, though I specialize in the mothering and parenting/caregiving space. I work with children. I work with all genders. I work with all neurotypes and all abilities. Whatever you're bringing to our time together is not "too much" because you are not too much. And, I deeply appreciate honesty and transparency—though I know trust is not simply given, but earned.

It's also important for you to know that I believe grief is not a detour. Grief is the way through. I believe in healing. Absolutely. Not fixing. Not erasing. But processing, digesting, integrating and expanding. Often with you grief. Sometimes, beyond it. Grief work is not about answers, though you may find some along the path. It is instead about being witnessed. It is about honoring the holy in your human experience. It is about coming home to yourself, your own soul, and whatever changes have manifested in your life.

I invite you to book a complimentary consult so that we can get to know one another.

Holding radical love as a core value in her life and work, Jennifer envisions a world in which our grief-full bodies are cared for in such a way that it impacts generations. As Mother Teresa would say, love ripples out.

Still have questions? You can email J. here.