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This event was part of Reimagine: Life, Loss, & Love

Holding Space with Claire Bidwell Smith & Being Here, Human

Hosted by Reimagine

Join Claire Bidwell Smith, a best-selling author, and Rachelle Bensoussan and Michelle Williams, co-founders of Being Here, Human, in an exploration about our collective grief and anxiety.

This is a unique time in our world for people who are experiencing grief and loss on many different levels. As a therapist who has specialized in grief and anxiety for over a decade, I hope to use the knowledge and tools I have amassed to help others who are struggling. These weekly discussions are open to anyone who wants to join, and each week I'll be bringing on a special guest to help explore our collective grief and anxiety. We will offer coping tools and techniques and take live questions from participants. If you can't make it to the call you will receive a recording.

After the discussion, we'll break people up into small breakout rooms to continue the conversation.

Claire Bidwell Smith is an internationally renowned author, speaker, and grief expert. She is the author of three books of nonfiction: The Rules of Inheritance, After This: When Life Is Over Where Do We Go? and Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief. Her books have been published in 18 countries and Claire lectures and writes regularly about grief.

Rachelle Bensoussan, M.A., CT. (She/Her) is the co-founder and managing director of Being Here, Human. She holds a master’s degree in Thanatology, is a certified Thanatologist with the Association of Death Education and Counselling and has spent the last ten years building community-based bereavement programs for hospices across Southern Ontario. Rachelle holds a faculty appointment at McMaster University in the department of family medicine, division of palliative care. She is a longitudinal facilitator at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and a guest lecturer in many of McMaster’s undergraduate programs. Rachelle is also a faculty member at Western University in the department of Thanatology. Rachelle is a queer-identified woman of North-African & Middle Eastern descent and is a fierce believer that grief is our birthright.

Michelle Williams, MSW (She/Her) is the co-founder and managing director of Being Here, Human. She holds a master’s degree in social work and has years of experience, both personally and professionally, supporting those at end of life. Michelle has been involved with grass roots organizations supporting communities who are living with housing instability, inadequate access to mental health resources and addictions. She has also spent time in child welfare witnessing firsthand the harm of systemic racism and oppressive practices on marginalized families. Michelle is a woman of mixed ethnicity who identifies as Black. She believes that one’s grief and loss experiences are greatly impacted by marginalization and intersections of identity, and that all are welcome.


Talk, Panel, & Conversation

Track:

Wellness