Grieving Hearts

One aspect of many I love about my work is finding creative ways to get kids (and adults) to talk, share their feelings, and move forward in their lives. I came up with this idea with the help of a colleague, Karen Johnson of Everyday Grief. These hearts have a hole in them that comes out - that represents the loss that client has experienced. We talk about how this impacts your heart and some days it feels like a big hole, other days it is a small wrinkle.
I love their creativity with their hearts! We had fun painting and talking. Each of these hearts represents an amazing story and a resilient teen.
Sometimes I think, I get paid to do this? This is too much fun. Cricket loves the kids and usually gets some off harness time so she can show them her love (she is keenly aware of who is talking and sharing). She can be a great helper in helping to open the conversation. Anyone else noticed that its a little easier to talk about hard things when you are petting a dog!
We don't get over our grief by forgetting, we get through our grief by remembering.