Our topic is Disenfranchised Grief, a term not many people may familiar with when it comes to types of grief and loss. Disenfranchised Grief is also be known as hidden grief or unattended sorrow. It is a form of grief that likely every one of us has experienced but we don't talk about it much with others. Disenfranchised grief occurs when the grief you are feeling (about any number of things) is not supported by others or society, or recognized as legitimate. Examples of this might be: the death of a pet, a miscarriage, abortion, divorce, loss of a job or health, infertility, and many more.

Join our guests, Grief Companions Julie Brooks and Renae Matkins, as they discuss with Jan their recent efforts to bring disenfranchised grief out of the darkness and into the light so individuals can experience validation and healing. 

SPEAKER BIOS:

Julie Brooks is an interspiritual guide, inter-genre writer and introspective cyclist, most at home amongst the sacred and sublime in Northern Colorado.  She has worn many professional hats, as a clinical social worker, outdoor education instructor, college professor, and interfaith minister. She is a contemplative explorer enjoying a rich and textured history facilitating all kinds of groups under the trees, on two wheels, and paddling waterways all over the US. She is most excited to be sharing this life with her wife of 30+ years, Joellen, and their four-pawed brood of two cats, Quaker and Dylan, and their pup, Remi.  And is especially grateful to be walking this grief-tending journey alongside of Renae. 

Renae Matkins has a background in psychology and is a spiritual director and grief companion. Her work is focused on supporting people experiencing many different kinds of grief and the unacknowledged losses we all experience. Renae lives in Colorado and is dealing with both the joys and losses that are part of young adult children leaving to start their own life adventures.