Healing After Loss: A Workshop for People Grieving or Anticipating the Loss of a Beloved Pet
Sunday, November 8 at 11:30 AM — 1:00 PM
Led by Rabbi Robyn Frisch
Lunch is included
The bond we share with our pets is deep, real, and profoundly meaningful. Losing a pet can leave a giant hole in your life, as well as in your heart – and many people feel alone in their grief. This workshop offers a warm, safe and compassionate space for anyone who is navigating the loss of a pet (no matter how long ago or how recently), or anticipating that loss, to process their grief by sharing memories, expressing feelings, and finding comfort among others who understand.
Through reflection, discussion, and simple rituals, we’ll honor the bond you shared, explore ways to live with your grief, and consider how the love we have for our pets can remain a meaningful part of our lives even after they’re gone.
Session 1 (Sunday, Oct. 25): Honoring the Bond and Understanding Our Grief
Reflect on your pet’s life, the love you shared, and the grief that comes with losing – or anticipating the loss of – a beloved companion.
The goals of this session are to build trust and comfort among the group, validate pet loss grief, and recognize the depth and significance of the human-animal bond. Through guided conversation and reflection, we’ll explore why the loss of a pet can be so profound, the many different ways grief can affect us, and the importance of recognizing that there is no “right” way to grieve and no set timeline for grief. We’ll also begin exploring what it means to live with grief rather than expecting ourselves simply to “get over” a loss.
Session 2 (Sunday, Nov. 8): Living with Grief, Continuing Bonds, and Looking Ahead
Explore ways to cope with grief, remain connected to the pet you love, and move forward while carrying that love with you.
The goals of this session are to explore healthy ways of living with grief, identify sources of comfort and support, and consider how we can continue our bond with a beloved pet even after death. We’ll discuss coping strategies and ways of caring for ourselves during grief, as well as ways participants are already remembering and honoring their pets. We’ll explore additional possibilities for acts of remembrance to maintain those connections. Finally, we’ll gently look ahead, considering how grief can change and soften over time, how painful memories can increasingly coexist with love and gratitude, and how we might gradually open ourselves to joy, connection, and giving or receiving love again—while always carrying with us the bond we shared with our beloved pets.