Grief in Relief: Therapeutic Processing and Artmaking Circles
Grief in Relief is a six- to eight-session, in-person program that invites a small circle of women into a series of embodied conversations and creative practices to explore and move grief intuitively so we can grow our capacity and confidence to well-tend experiences of loss with ourselves and with others. Each session includes facilitated discussion and guided artmaking.
Grief and loss take infinite forms, and all are welcome in this circle.
Over six to eight in-person sessions we will:
- learn and unlearn about the nature of grief and loss - drawing upon creativity, intuition, and nature for inspiration
- explore the ways we carry grief in our bodies – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually;
- intuitively moving grief like a river using expressive and intuitive arts - creative writing, journaling, music, visual artmaking and more; and
- practice truth-telling and deep listening
Upon completing this course, you will be able to say with increased confidence:
- My relationships with grief and loss are expansive and deep.
- I acknowledge, honor, and move grief creatively and with ease.
- I trust in my ability to meet others in their grief and loss experiences in ways that are mutually supportive.
- I have capacity for joy, vulnerability, connection, and resilience.
If you are ripe for this kind of transformative work for yourself and your community, I do hope you’ll consider stepping in with us.
This group is facilitated by therapist, Caroline Fraase, and artist and healer, Lisa Cheney-Philp.
Please note: All of the experiential activities offered in this program will be guided. No prior experience is necessary and participation is always a choice, not a requirement.
Winter/Spring 2027 dates coming soon
Seasonal Grief Retreats
Have you experienced the loss of someone or something you love dearly?
Are you longing to be seen, heard, and held in your grief by a compassionate community?
Are you open to creativity, intuition, and nature supporting you along the way?
If yes, we wholeheartedly invite you to join us for a therapeutic half- or full-day grief retreat to explore and soften into the layers of loss, practice moving grief through our bodies creatively and with ease, and foster relationships with ourselves, each other, and the natural world. In this experience we'll:
- Release patterns of vigilance, control, paralysis, overwhelm and isolation
- Reclaim, flow, capacity, and connection with self, others, and nature
- Receive compassionate support, guidance, and community care every step of the way
Together in sacred community, we'll introduce a variety of guided rituals for well-tending grief that include:
- Sound healings with gemstone singing bowls, harp, drums, tuning forks, and our own voices
- Individual and collaborative artmaking with sustainably-sourced earth materials
- Meditative nature immersion with light to moderate walking
- Reflection and sacred sharing with intentions for grounding and integration
By the end of our time together you’ll feel lighter and more in tune with the rhythms of life, death, love and loss, and ready to continue onward with increased ease, flow and sustained connection within and with the world.
Grief and loss take infinite forms, and all are welcome in these circles. Big grief and small grief. Light grief and heavy grief. Old grief and new grief. From the death of a loved one, to collective and ancestral grief, to the extinction or endangerment of plants and animals, to social injustices, chronic and terminal illness, and unfulfilled expectations or unrequited love and beyond.
These retreats are facilitated by death doula and wellness practitioner, Erin Doty, and artist and healer, Lisa Cheney-Philp.
What to Bring:
- We will have hot water, tea, and light snacks available. You’re welcome to bring any additional nourishment you may need as well.
- Comfortable clothing and shoes for light to moderate walking on mostly flat surfaces, paved and unpaved surfaces
- Layers for warmth/coziness in both indoor and outdoor conditions
- Journal and pen/pencil
- Touchstones or altar items (smallish object(s) that ground or comfort you and/or relate to the grief you're carrying)
- Anything else that calls to you in the moment for reasons known or unknown - trust your intuition on this one!
2027 schedule coming soon
Nature Mandala Workshops
Embrace creativity, embrace Life
Embrace impermanence, embrace Death
Mandalas carry the energy of wholeness, order and balance, and the process of creating them can bring these energies to our nervous system, serving as a practice of meditation, reflection, and relaxation. Mandalas using found nature beings further honor the cycles and seasons of life as we give our attention to what is budding, blooming, withering, and decaying in our outer and inner worlds.
Nature Mandalas Workshops provide a welcoming space for creativity-curious women of all ages and stages to get crafty with Mother Earth, our Inner Artists, and each other. Together, we open ourselves to explore and receive the gifts of mandala-making, which include:
- remembering our belonging with Nature,
- giving and receiving inspiration and hope,
- practicing beauty-making in well-held community, and
- exploring soul-inspired intentions through our hearts and hands
These workshops are facilitated by artist and healer, Lisa Cheney-Philp. No experience is necessary and a beginner's mindset is always encouraged.
A variety of sustainably-harvested beings from the natural world will be available for collective use. Participants are also invited to bring items with them, either to use personally, or to share with others in the group.
2027 schedule coming soon