“YOU DIED. I CRIED. AND KEPT ON GETTING UP. A LITTLE SLOWER. AND A LOT MORE DEADLY.”
Assata Shakur
Tending to grief is crucial to moving through this world without drowning in the onslaught of personal and worldly losses happening around us. Many of us feel discombobulated by experiencing profound grief while continuing on with the responsibilities of everyday life, aware that it feels almost unhuman to go to work and grocery shop while the people and things we love begin to die and decay,
I am here to provide a path forward in the face of such harsh reality. Grief care is a way to honor the sadness we’re supposed to push down in order to “keep moving.” Grief care is an invitation to stand still and “be” with the painful feelings in community with myself or many others. It gives us a chance to honor what we are losing— whether it’s personal, or worldly.
-Leah
SERVICES
Communal Offerings:
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I would be honored to help with the logistics of vigils and remembrance events. This can include tasks such as finding Chicago locations, planning online vigils, planning rituals/acts of remembrance, arranging day-of items/offerings such as refreshments, air filters, healing arts offerings, mental health offerings, speakers, and more. I can help bring your vision into existence to honor your loved one, or express communal grief and rage over politicized death/loss. My work is based in an ethos of disability justice and I love working with people who value COVID safety and access for all.
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In addition to hosting monthly special-topics virtual grief circles, I am available to arrange a 90 minute-120 minute grief circle with your organizing group/coalition, friend group, family, or with a group of people who might not know each other but are grieving a common thing. These circles can be hosted virtually or in-person in Chicago.
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If your group/coalition has recently suffered a loss, be it members of the group, a major concession in your attempts to make change, or devastating political changes: I am available to facilitate conversations that acknowledge and map the losses. These conversations are meant to be a way to honor grief around movement work while planting seeds that will bloom on the path ahead. This programming is roughly 3 hours with a planned 30 minute break in the middle.
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While most are familiar with the Kübler-Ross stages of grief, many are not familiar with the many kinds of grief— such as identity loss grief, anticipatory grief, transitional grief, relational grief, and collective grief. If your family, group, or friend circle is feeling alienated by the narrow definition of grief that the medical-industrial complex sticks to, this educational offering is the first step towards honoring the many kinds of losses that we experience in this world. This programming is roughly 2 hours.
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This is based on the transformative justice Pod Mapping model put forth by Mia Mingus. I will lead you and your loved ones/group through Pod Mapping so that there is a strengthened interpersonal network of support through challenging life moments.
Individual Offerings
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I am available for weekly check-ins via phone call, Zoom, or in-person (depending on time/Chicago-based location) to witness and process grief with you. Grief companionship can include tarot/oracle cards, journaling, ritual-building, support strategizing, and more. I offer this as an 8 session service, with each session lasting roughly 60 minutes, scheduled once a week, or once every other week.
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Ritual is the spirit of honoring loss and laying the groundwork for something new. I am available to discuss and tailor rituals that integrate your personal beliefs and practices with intentional ways to honor what you’re grieving and what you seek to grow from the grief.
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Altars are physical manifestations of love, grief, and remembrance. I am available to help plan and assist you in building an altar that integrates you and your loss’s personal beliefs, practices, and desires. I am dedicated to finding objects and offerings that are affordable, culturally sensitive, and based in economies that fund people and prevent waste (so no Amazon!).
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Together we will find gaps in your care, obstacles you face as you grieve, and determine bare minimum needs you have in order to survive. From there, we will turn towards your personal network and then external networks of support to see how we can fill the gaps. This is also a way to be introduced to people who may be facing similar challenges as you.
Please Note: I am not a licensed mental health professional or certified grief counselor. These offerings are not a replacement for therapy or mental health treatment.