In this category you will find professionally facilitated Art therapy group, Grief Circles and Parenting Living Children After Loss specialty workshops
Journeying Through Loss Adult Art Therapy Group
Run by a Professional Art Therapist, this art therapy group will provide an accountable and nurturing holding space needed to help process and validate the grief and trauma from the loss. Over 6 weeks, we will gently work through feelings of isolation, shame and disconnect with the body while mindfully honoring the loss in a creative and symbolic way.
Why use art? Art has the power to influence how we integrate, unblock, and understand the pain of loss. While it may feel easier to avoid these feelings, art has the ability to invite these feelings into the light through visual forms, helping us lean into, learn from, and move through the feelings rather than be stuck in them. The healing act of making art can also offer release, allowing the grief to take up as much or as little space as it needs.
What is Art Therapy? Art therapy utilizes the healing potential of art-making within a therapeutic framework. Instead of relying on words alone, art therapy helps to give feelings a visual form, making them easier to process within the safety of the therapeutic relationship and the communal healing circle of the support group.
Who is this group for: Adults who have experienced the loss of a pregnancy or infant. No art experience is necessary.
Pregnant people are also welcome.
**Please note this group is only available to CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY**
When We Meet: Every Sunday from April 7th to May 12th (6 weeks)
Time We Meet: 9:30am – 11:00am MST
Where We Meet: IN PERSON at the PILSC Centre
Grief Circles
Grief Circles are intentional spaces for grief to be acknowledged and held. These grief circles are offered as a way to remember the inextricable link between love and loss. We invite you to bring presence, acceptance and compassion into our circle as we hold space for you, just as you are. These Grief Circles are not a support group, and require more energetic participation than talking. This is an individual journey shared within a collective space.
Who is this group for? This group is for adults only (partners are welcome).
Pregnant people are also welcome.
When We Meet: TBA
Time We Meet: TBA
Where We Meet: IN PERSON at the PILSC Centre
A Spiritual Evening with Erin from Mystic Heart Spiritual Arts
Join with community for an intimate evening of collective spiritual guidance & gentle messages of clarity for those seeking energetic release, renewal, and the healing strength of connection to spirit and community.
Who is this group for? This group is for adults only (partners are welcome).
Pregnant people are also welcome. Please no babes in arms or children in attendance.
When We Meet: Friday, May 31st 2024
Time We Meet: 7:00 – 9:00 PM MT
Where We Meet: In-person at the PILSC centre
Visually Exploring Your Story
- Pencil & Eraser
- Any additional mark making tools you enjoy (markers, watercolor, crayons, pens)
- 10 sheets of letter sized paper
- Your thoughts and imagination
Who is this group for? This group is for adults only (partners are welcome).
Pregnant people are also welcome.
When We Meet: Wednesday, May 1st, 2024
Time We Meet: 7:00-9:30 pm MST
Where We Meet: ONLINE
Workshop Facilitators
Rebecca Ellison (she/her)Workshop Facilitator
Rebecca Ellison (she/her)
Workshop Facilitator
Rebecca loves to find ways to combine her background in occupational therapy with her life as a visual and biomedical artist. She has instructed hundreds of students in schools and many adult classes, with the goal of always helping others find their inner artistic expression. Through this workshop, Rebecca seeks to share a creative way she worked through her own pregnancy loss with others who wish to do the same.
Paige Blumer (she/her)Workshop Facilitator
Paige Blumer (she/her)
Workshop Facilitator
Paige is a biomedical visualization specialist at the HIVE, curating online educational materials for UBC’s medical and health professional programs. As an instructor in the UBC BMVC program, she empowers students to communicate complex health topics. Paige is a graphic medicine enthusiast who believes in using visuals to process and share stories for the benefit of the community. Her journey includes kinesiology, an Art Fundamentals certificate from Sheridan College, and creating patient education materials at McGill University Health Centre. She holds a Master’s in Biomedical Visualization and is the creator of AcesMadeVisible, educating healthcare professionals on childhood trauma’s physiological impact.
Kirsten Langereis (she/her)Workshop Facilitator
Kirsten Langereis (she/her)
Workshop Facilitator
Kirsten is a biomedical visual communicator passionate about storytelling. Her experiences collaborating with health communities in the non-profit sector highlighted how important it is to build safer spaces to share stories. Inspired by her collaborators to engage with her own journey navigating pregnancy loss in community, Kirsten looks forward to supporting you to explore your important story through this workshop in a shared time and space.
Chelle (she/her)Group Facilitator
Chelle (she/her)
Group Facilitator
Chelle (she/her/hers) is a seasoned facilitator with 20+ years of experience supporting individuals, families, and couples in peer support, community engagement, and private practice. Volunteering with PILSC for two years, she offers post-abortion peer mentoring and group facilitation, drawing from her own journey of healing after a traumatic abortion. As the director of a Calgary women’s shelter where she has worked for 16+ years, Chelle focuses on empowerment and resilience, emphasizing the transformative power of peer-to-peer relationships. A solo mother of three, she brings humility, honesty, and gratitude to her roles both personally and professionally.
Steven (he/him)Group Facilitator
Steven (he/him)
Group Facilitator
Email >Steven (he/him/his) is a 34 year old father of two who has spent the last ten years in theatre and film and now is on a journey to practice Counselling and Social Work. He feels drawn to helping those at the Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre as he and his wife lost their daughter in early 2020 and the support provided to them was incredible. He hopes to support others in the same way and show people they are not alone in these woods. Steven looks forward to speaking to you all.
FAQ
What to expect at a PILSC peer support group
A hybrid group is a peer support group that gives you the option of attending in person at the PILSC office in downtown Calgary or attending virtually on Zoom for those living outside of Calgary and for anyone who prefers to attend virtually.
Your hybrid group will have a designated facilitator for those who attend in person and the second facilitator will be supporting the group on Zoom. We have technology called Meeting Owl that allows for a seamless interaction experience between those attending in person and those who attend virtually.
(PILSC hybrid group using Meeting Owl technology with in-person and virtual attendees)
To see a video of a Hybrid group, see this video
For our 7-Week Groups, we require that all participants attend either the first or second session and as many sessions as possible to allow for a safe and consistent group environment. That being said, life happens and let us know if you are unable to attend a session by emailing info@pilsc.org.
As with all of our services at PILSC, we believe in the importance of removing barriers to accessing services. All of our groups are offered at no cost to participants. For those who have the means and ability to help support the centre and our groups programming, we graciously accept donations: https://pilsc.org/donate-to-pilsc
All of our online groups are open for anyone to attend anywhere in the world. Some of our groups that meet in person will have a hybrid option so you can attend any group virtually, regardless of your physical location.
You will receive a confirmation email from the Jane booking system and the day before your group you will receive an email welcoming you to your group. For 7-week groups, there are forms to fill out in the Jane booking system so please fill those out as we require your mailing information to send you materials for your group.
Yes, you are welcome to attend a group more than once. Every time you attend will be different because so much is determined by the people in a group with you. We also have various monthly groups that you can try after an 7-week group to meet others who have experienced.