Mourning Breaks

06/07/2026

I know this will resonate with many of you - Jess has a way of connecting to the deepest heart of grief. May it provide some validation, some comfort, some hope on this sunny Sunday afternoon. 💛😊

Jesssbaird

06/04/2026

💛💛💛 3 YEARS!!!

I’m honoured to be marking my 3rd year in private practice this past week, and deeply humbled to have been invited into the lives of so many of you over the last three years.

I hold tremendous respect and admiration for how bravely you’ve entered into this tender work of navigating your lives after profound loss and change. It is often tough, painful, vulnerable work, and you continue to show such brilliant dedication to learning, understanding, and trusting that your path will unfold in your own unique way, in your own unique time.

As this 4th year begins, I continue to view my role in your lives as a deep honour and privilege. I am in awe, often, as we spend time together; bearing witness to your strength, courage, and wisdom, and sharing in so many tender moments means everything to me.

Thank you for your trust.

Holding gratitude today and always.

Sending love,
Cheryl 🌸

05/29/2026

💛 Relational Model of Grief, Coping, and Loneliness

Many of you know that my paying job is as a Professor at Arizona State University where I conduct research in many aspects of traumatic bereavement and the care of those enduring life's greatest tragedies.

Grief after traumatic loss is so often influenced by others; by the way others avoid, pathologize, judge, and care for (or fail to care for) grievers. The relational environment surrounding the bereaved is critical. Juth et al conducted research, for example, and found that 'social constraints' predicted poor psychological *and* physical outcomes for grievers.

Supportive conditions, such as emotional presence, deep listening, consistent check ins, practical help, peer support, and especially the comfort of animals, helps to foster feelings of relational safety. This supports coping and eases the intense loneliness and isolation of so many grievers.

Conversely, unsupportive conditions, including avoidance, silence, minimizing grief, time limited support, judgment, pressure to 'heal', and institutional failures, all create relational disconnection, heightening loneliness and straining coping.

Our research shows this model and how it emphasizes that grief is not an illness; it is a natural, enduring response to loss (even nonhumans experience grief when someone they love dies!).

This graphic shows the underpinning philosophy of our research findings: the quality of connection profoundly influences how many people cope with and learn to live with their loss.

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Cacciatore, J, Thieleman, K, Fretts, R, & Jackson, LB. (2021). What is good grief support? Exploring the actors and actions in social support after traumatic grief. PLoS ONE 16(5): e0252324. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252324

www.JoanneCacciatore.com

05/29/2026

A wee note to let current clients know that I’ve added extra in-person session times to the booking calendar for the month of June as there have been requests for additional options this month.

Additional IN-PERSON session times are now available:
• Wednesday, June 3rd
• Wednesday, June 17th
• Friday, June 26th

*Actual photo (your view) of the Mourning Breaks counselling space - no AI involved (someone actually asked!)☺️

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you’re new to Mourning Breaks, Welcome! 💛

Although our practice is currently full, you are invited to reach out to be added to our WAITLIST to begin in June and July. I will continue to offer FREE 30-minute consultations in the meantime to facilitate your exploration of suitable support options.

IN-PERSON counselling sessions are available Tuesdays and Thursdays, and alternating Saturdays each month (with additional times added occasionally).

ONLINE, TELEPHONE (Ontario-wide) and local WALK & TALK sessions are also available throughout each week at various times.

Limited evening appointments by request.

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05/27/2026

Did you know that Mourning Breaks offers Walk & Talk counselling sessions? This was my view of Deshkan Ziibi earlier this morning as I spent a few moments grounding into the space before my first session of the day began.🌳💚

Spending time outdoors (offered all year ‘round btw) is a soothing sensory experience. Some individuals find it much easier to talk about hard things while surrounded by nature. Being in nature provides a rich metaphor for how we move forward in any journey — one step at a time, one season at a time.

Aside from the aesthetic benefits, decades of research studies have demonstrated the healing benefits of nature connection practices. For example, being in natural environments, combined with gentle bilateral movement (walking) can significantly increase the brain and body’s resilience and integration capacities. Pretty cool, don’t you think? 😊

If you have mobility limitations or prefer not to walk, there is the option to meet for your session at a favourite bench or in a public park or garden (bring a blanket or lawn chair if you like) and we’ll sit quietly together.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in exploring, let’s talk!

“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” ~ Rachel Carson

05/26/2026

Devastating news for the community, primarily for the residents who have worked harder than you know to find stability, security, safety…a home.

Grief lives here within the lines of this news story, within the hearts of residents and staff. 💔

Grief is political.

“…when highly supportive housing capacity is lost, the need within the community does not disappear. Without stable housing and coordinated supports, many individuals face renewed instability and increased risk.” ~ London Cares

House of Hope has demonstrated that highly supportive housing for people with the highest needs works. Built through collaboration between London Cares, London Health Sciences Centre, the City of London, resident contributions, and community partners, House of Hope was created to support individuals...

05/17/2026

From the 1950s to the 1990s, the Government of Canada systematically investigated, harassed and fired 2SLGBTQI+ members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP and the federal public service destroying careers, ruining lives and inflicting psychological damage on the community. Find out more about th...

05/17/2026

I’m sharing London Cares post tonight as I feel strongly that it deserves our attention.

As I’m reflecting on the weight of this tender and poignant post I’m thinking back to my King's University College - School of Social Work days and my pivotal social work practicum completed with some of the best humans I’ve had the honour to work with at My Sisters' Place.

My time there, and on the London Homeless Coalition (londonhomeless.ca), opened my eyes and my heart in ways that continue to influence so much of my work and how I show up in the world.

During my time at My Sisters’ Place, I had the opportunity to support a qualitative research study, led by a colleague and friend of mine. My role was to interview participants over an extended period of time. I spent so much time one-on-one with the women taking part, and grew to hold such profound respect for each of them.

I will never forget the day when one of the women I so enjoyed spending time with, didn’t show up for our scheduled time together (an unusual occurrence).

I was later notified that she had been found, deceased.

I was devastated.

The impact of her death was felt by staff and peers alike, and it was the first time I truly understood the weight of this work, the weight of the grief being carried by the staff, the participants and the larger community. I remember, too, how incredibly supportive, meaningful, and validating it was to attend and participate in the thoughtful memorial event held following her death.

Many of you know that I speak often about the fact that grief is political. This is yet another example of how grief is deeply impacted by systems, by political agendas and priorities. The weight of grief that goes unrecognized, invalidated, minimized and unsupported in marginalized communities is something that needs attention and acknowledgment.

Thank you, London Cares, for this post, and for your continued efforts—despite significant barriers and limited resources—to provide dignity and compassionate support to those most affected by these systemic inequities.

Sending love, respect and gratitude.💛💔

05/10/2026

Content⚠️: this is not a flowery Mother’s Day post, you may wish to scroll past.

As someone who has supported countless bereaved mothers and adult children, Mother’s Day is never just a Hallmark holiday to me.

I don’t know that it could be.
I don’t know that I’d ever want it to be.

I am always aware of the bigger picture, and I know that this day brings an endless array of emotions to the surface. If you’ve ever read Anne Lamott’s Mother’s Day posts, she uses the term “sheet metal loneliness” to describe what some feel on this day. She acknowledges the complexity and pain this day can bring.

Today I hold space for mothers and children who had painful childhoods, moms who couldn’t be the moms they’d hoped to be, those who’ve yearned to be mothers but for a billion reasons could not, those who are estranged from their children, or their mothers.

Today my heart recognizes the children of dead mothers, and the mothers of dead children most sorrowfully.

I honour grandmothers, aunties, women and non-binary souls who mother within their communities with boundless love and care.

If you know me or are currently a client of mine, you’ll know that my view is that grief is always political, that everything within our environment influences how, when, and IF we are afforded the privilege to grieve. We live in a time when politicians continue to usurp reproductive rights and weaponize parenthood. We’re witness to the horrors of a genocide in Gaza where tens of thousands of mothers, babies, and children are being murdered indiscriminately. Where pregnant women are losing their babies or giving birth under unimaginable circumstances. Globally, lands and families are being ripped apart by violence, displacement, detainment, and death, victims of political regimes and greed.

If your heart is feeling torn open and tender today, know that you’re not alone.

I see you, and I honour your grief with all of my being.

As a bereaved mother myself, this will never be just another Mother’s Day.

Artwork: Sliman Mansour
Photo: Mohammad Salem, Reuters (Inas Abu Maamar, 36, embraces the body of her 5yo niece Saly, who was killed in an Israeli strike at Nasser Hospital, Gaza)

05/10/2026

If you’re holding the complexities that exist within a redefined life without children, or reflecting on a life lived without having children of your own this Mother’s Day, these little reminders come from (IG) — I saved these words to share again as they are so validating, so comforting.

And they remind us that we are whole, that expanding the definition of mothering can soften the ache. We mother in ways that aren’t always recognized. Perhaps you’ll find this supportive today, in some small and tender way.

“A Few Things I Hope You Remember:

You are not forgotten.

You are not less than.

You mother in so many beautiful, unseen ways — through your friendships, your care, your work, your love for your fur babies, your nieces/nephews, your community.

You are allowed to grieve and to protect your joy.

You are still whole, even if your path looks different than you imagined.”

💛
Wise words.

May you feel seen, and may your heart—and your grief—be held gently this weekend.

Feather: ©️CWituik