Healing Lens: An Exploration of Grief and Loss through Words 

Date: 4 September 2021

Time: 10.00am-12.00pm

About the facilitator

Ms Lena Soh, 

Counsellor

She is currently volunteering at 

Singapore Hospice Council.

Through the reading of texts with themes that centre on grief, the workshop provides a platform for participants to explore reactions arising from a loss. Through the writing of their own poem, participants can give voice to their grief and capture their own journey and learning as a part of a continuing narrative.

Writing is often a sorting and rebuilding process. More than eliciting and normalising grief reactions, it is hoped that the creative space would allow participants to speak what is on their heart without judgment in remembrance of their loved one, while being engaged in meaning-making through the healing lens of words and narratives.

Meaning-making Through Mindfulness and Art Therapeutic Approaches 

Date: 11 September 2021

Time: 10:00am-12:00pm

The workshop aims to validate and address sources of psycho-spiritual distress and existential issues stemming from the multiple losses that a bereaved can face. In addition, identifying salient themes pertaining to sources of meaning and facilitate meaning-making for the bereaved. Lastly, this workshop hopes to facilitate some shared experiences and reduce a sense of isolation felt in the grief process.

With the use of art therapeutic purposes, it gives participants an opportunity to self-express and explore their inner emotions. Through art, participants will be able to build a sense of resilience as well.

Capturing Key Moments Through Music (Virtual)

Date: 11 September 2021

Time: 4.00pm-6.00pm

Online via Zoom

Grief is a natural response we have towards loss. The deceased continues to live with and in us in various ways.

Music is always present in our lives and can be associated with key memories. Music also helps us to express and explore our inner emotions, which is an essential part of the healthy grieving process. The combinations of various elements in music facilitates a more accurate expression of the complexities we experience.

This virtual workshop aims to provide opportunities to remember the connections and memories of the deceased in a creative manner. In the process of creating a music playlist, this workshop hopes to facilitate meaning-making for the bereaved in a group setting. By remembering the deceased, this workshop also seeks to support participants to reminisce past key moments and engage in healthy music listening.

The Influence of Music in Our Bereavement Journey

Date: 18 September 2021

Time: 10:00am-12:00pm

Bereavement and our grief from other losses in life can be a journey with many ups and downs. Along this journey, we may find ourselves turning to music as a way to cope with our grief.

Music is both highly personal and has intrinsic properties that influence us subconsciously. With the guidance of a Music Therapist in this workshop, participants would gain awareness of ways to better shape their music selection in the grieving process, for both self-care and to express their feelings.

This workshop will delve into the mechanisms of how music affects us in our mood and explore the following questions:
   - How do we use music to change our mood?
   - Should we listen to happy music when we are grieving?
   - Is instrumental music better for relaxation?
   - Is there such thing as good or bad music for a person who is grieving?

About the facilitator

Camellia Soon,

Music Therapist, with Medical Social Workers from Dover Park Hospice

Honouring the Imprint: An Art-based Approach to Affirming the Legacy of Deceased Loved Ones

Date: 18 September 2021

Time: 3:00pm-5.00pm

When loved ones die, they continue to live on in our mannerisms, attitudes, beliefs, actions, and feelings. The imprint of our deceased loved ones influences who we are because of how their lives had been merged with ours.

This workshop provides participants with the opportunity to reaffirm their connections with the deceased using a creative approach. It entails a process of remembering and sharing cherished memories of loved ones in the world around them - things, places, food, events, and the environment. As they explore the continued place of the deceased in their lives and discover that grief may entail not just letting go, but holding on as well, participants may be inspired to re-examine the enduring qualities of those they have loved and integrate them in their own lives.

About the facilitators

Vivian Wong, 

Art Therapist (AThR), Assisi Hospice

Abigail Yang, 

Counsellor (CTRTC), Assisi Hospice

A Holiday with Grief (Overnight Retreat)

Date: 18-19 September 2021 (Overnight)

Time: 9.00am (18 Sep)-4:00pm (19 Sep)

Price: TBA

Grief is one of those concrete mysteries of life that teach us that not everything in life can be concluded with an answer, a solution, an outcome. In short, death or loss can teach us about life if we know how to grieve well.

Thus, the invitation for this retreat is to take a holiday with grief - a personal time of coming away, of making space to simply relax in each other's presence, listening, understanding, appreciating, without judgment or analysis, or trying to achieve anything. But simply be ourselves wherever we are at.

So bring along your sunglasses, bermudas, walking shoes and explore the interior terrain and hidden beauty of one's heart.

About the facilitator

Lance Ng is a spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition