Feeling blessed to support grieving families

By:  Jill Paris, LMSW
Grief Support Specialist, Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care

Jill Paris, KCH Grief Support Specialist

Throughout my life, I’ve always been drawn to helping people or creatures who are in distress, or need support for whatever reason, even at a very young age. I’m a late bloomer and did not get my social work degree until my four sons were in high school and junior high school.

As I finished my degree, I realized I was especially drawn to supporting people who had family members who were facing end of life, or who had recently died. This realization eventually led me to joining the grief support team at Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care (KCH).

I can’t begin to say how blessed I am to work with a team of people who provide support to people during one of the most difficult times they’ll ever experience in their lives. What an honor it is to be present with them during this transitional time, to listen and support them as they come to terms with their loss and help them learn how to cope and grieve in a healthy way.

Our society tends to be awkward when it comes to supporting people who are grieving.  They often think they need to “fix it” or do something to make it better. Grief is not one of those things that can be fixed.  However, the best thing someone, who’s supporting the griever, can do is be present. To listen. To encourage the one grieving. To talk. To speak the name of the one who died. The greatest thing we can do to support those who are grieving is to be a witness as they share and process their loss and how it has changed their life.

I love being able to be present with these people who have suffered such great loss in their lives. It’s such a sacred time for which I feel so blessed to be present with my client. I am always so honored when people invite me in to share in this sacred, and heart wrenching time.

National Grief Awareness Day falls on August 30 each year.

It’s a day dedicated to raising awareness about the grieving process, providing support to those who are experiencing loss, and education on how to offer support to those who are mourning. 

At Kansas City Hospice, we offer grief support and counseling for family members following the loss of a loved one on our services but also for anyone from the Kansas City community who has experienced the death of a loved one via Solace House Center for Grief & Healing. Read more about our Grief Support & Counseling Services.