Creative Bereavement Drop-in Sessions
Switchboard’s LGBTQIA+ Suicide Bereavement Program is launching a series of creative bereavement sessions where participants will connect with loss after a suicide by participating in expressive exploration. When we experience grief, we feel big emotions, creativity and movement. Creative expression can allow us to understand our experiences differently, help us in our relationship to grief, and assist with connecting to our feelings and experiences that can feel beyond words.
We invite you to register your interest in attending a Creative Bereavement Session with Switchboard's Suicide Bereavement Program. Please register via the Eventbrite link and leave your details for a call back to discuss your interest in attending.
One of our staff will be in touch to discuss with you what it might be like for you to attend this session or explore other support options.
All sessions will be held online via Zoom. We will aim to hold these sessions every 2 months; our first session will be in October 2023.
Session 1
Date: Thursday 12 October
Time: 7.00pm - 9.00pm AEDT
Facilitator
Jackie Sheppard (She/Her/They) is of the Tagalaka Clan Group, based in Narrm. Jackie is a mixed medium performer, storyteller, and workshop facilitator. They harness their skills in creative interrogation and expression as a vehicle to safely realize and comprehend our layered experiences. Jackie’s work happens via the process of re-humanizing First Nations experiencing, storying, relating, and creating.
Activity
In this session, Jackie will be aiming to use gentle and empathetic creative exploration to observe with curiosity, ponder and embrace the experiential multi-layers of loss and grief. Jackie encourages participants to use whichever form of creative expression brings them the most joy & excitement, so they are able to have an experience that is beneficial to them. Participants are also encouraged to engage with the space in way that brings them purpose, comfort and meaning – there are no expectations except to show up and participate in a way that and safe and accessible for you.
Registration
Please register through our EOI form. Places are limited so please let us know as soon as you can if you would like to come along, we will do our best to accommodate for everyone.
If you'd like to join other LGBTQIA+ people who have lost someone to suicide and be involved in these creative series, please reach out. You're most welcome to either or both sessions.
Need materials?
Reimbursement is available for art supplies for each session.
Bereavement Support
Switchboard also hold LGBTQIA+ Suicide Bereavement Support Groups, If you'd like to speak with one of our bereavement team about coming along, or had any questions about the groups, please get in touch.