Grief: Understanding, Coping, and Finding Meaning After Loss (IP)

Navigating Grief: Understanding, Coping, and Finding Meaning After Loss

In-Person Workshop

Grief can follow many kinds of loss: the death of someone we love, the end of a relationship, changes in health, the loss of a job or role, relocation, caregiving transitions, or other major life changes. Although grief is a natural human response, it can affect us emotionally, physically, cognitively, and spiritually in ways we may not expect.

In this small, in-person workshop, Dr. Ginny Estupinian will create a supportive and welcoming space to better understand grief, learn practical ways to cope, and explore how meaning and hope can gradually emerge after loss.

Because the group is intentionally kept small, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, reflect on their own experiences, and learn from the shared wisdom of others in a more personal setting. Participation in discussion is always optional; no one will be expected to share more than they are comfortable sharing.

The workshop will explore what happens in the brain and body during grief and why loss can sometimes feel physically exhausting, mentally foggy, or emotionally overwhelming. Participants will learn why grief can involve far more than sadness and may include anger, guilt, relief, numbness, anxiety, loneliness, difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep, or a sense that life no longer feels familiar.

Dr. Estupinian will also discuss different forms of grief, including normal grief, anticipatory grief, prolonged grief, and disenfranchised grief—the losses that may be deeply meaningful but are not always recognized or understood by others. These may include the loss of a relationship, a career, health, independence, a beloved pet, a sense of identity, or a future that was once imagined.

Together, we will challenge common myths about grief, including the idea that there is a correct way to grieve, that grief should follow a predictable timetable, or that people eventually need to simply “move on.” Grief is not something to complete or leave behind. It is an ongoing process of adapting to a changed reality while finding ways to continue living with connection and purpose.

Throughout the workshop, participants will learn practical coping strategies they can begin using immediately. These may include journaling, creating meaningful rituals, honoring memories, building supportive connections, making intentional space for difficult emotions, and finding healthy ways to navigate the moments when grief suddenly resurfaces.

The small-group setting will also allow time for guided reflection and discussion around questions such as: What has helped you through loss? What has made grief more difficult? What do you wish others understood about your experience? And what might moving forward look like without feeling as though you are leaving something or someone behind?

We will also discuss when grief may be becoming especially persistent or disruptive and when additional professional support may be helpful.

Finally, the workshop will explore one of the most important questions that can arise after loss: How do I begin to find meaning and purpose again?

Moving forward does not mean forgetting, minimizing, or replacing what has been lost. It means learning how to carry the loss differently while gradually making room for connection, purpose, relationships, creativity, and moments of joy.

This workshop offers both understanding and practical support. You don’t need the right words, to be at a particular stage of grief, or to know exactly what you need before attending. You simply need to come as you are.

Grief may change us, but it doesn’t have to keep us from finding meaning, connection, and hope in what comes next.