Divergent Death Work

Endings and times of transition are incredibly hard. I am a healer, storyteller, and community organizer (among other things) as well as a death doula. Similar to a birth doula, who helps to transition new life into this mortal plane, I work as a death doula to help transition life out of it.

Death work, for me, is quite expansive. In addition to working with the dying and the grieving, I work with people who are curious about death and their relationship to it; those who are suicidal; marginalized folks experiencing loss or grief (such as new diagnoses); and communities experiencing grief or collapse.

As with my approach to planning, I take a narrative approach to death work and I emphasize doing things differently. Endings and times of transition can feel restrictive, like there is a set process and no choices. I'm here to hold the big feelings with you and to make more space for possibilities.

I primarily work with trans, queer, neurodivergent, disabled, and other marginalized folks but if you are looking to do something different and I feel like the right fit, I am happy to connect!

Death Work

Planning for end of life (including for youth and young(er) people)
Facilitating end of life discussions
Narrative approaches to death and grieving
Support in advocating for end of life care and wellbeing
Ritual and ceremony
Odd and unusual after-death gatherings
Companioning:
- the dying
- the grieving
- folks who are suicidal
- marginalized folks in the full spectrum of grief, whether related to death or not
- communities experiencing grief or collapse

When I visited my family in Austria in 2016, I went with my mom and brother to visit some of our departed family members buried in Gloggnitz. My little brother watered the plants around their grave while my mom shared memories she has of them and Austria as a whole. My relationship to death and death work is rooted in my Scottish, Irish, and Austrian cultures while also inviting my clients to bring their cultures on their own terms.