Community Events
May 17, 2025
How Dreams Help Us Grieve: A Jungian Approach to Bereavement
9AM-Noon
4625 E River Road
about their loved ones. Most importantly, we will learn how to help grieving people
benefit from dreaming—-and sometimes not dreaming—about those they love.
A practical and flexible approach to dream interpretation will be presented. A
number of case studies will be examined. Specific techniques will be practiced and
processed during the workshop. Participants will be welcome to share their experiences in this area.
May 15, 2025
Honor Flight Southern Arizona
Hosted by Roots & Roads
Virtual 6-7:00PM AZ Time
May 10, 2025
Notes of Healing: The Transformative Role of Music in Grief and Memory
Hosted by Roots & Roads
In-Person 1-2:30PM AZ Time
St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church
3809 E 3rd Street
Tucson, AZ 85716
April 24, 2025
Culture is the Cure: Use of Tribal and Latino Practices to Treat Substance Abuse and Navigate Grief
Hosted by Roots & Roads
Virtual 6-7:30PM AZ Time
April 7-28, 2025
Process Pages: A Grief Journaling Class
5:30-7:30PM
In-person at The Drawing Studio
This class is for those who have experienced the death of a loved one and wish to find a supported and engaging way to process their loss. As an alternative to a discussion support group, we will process grief through creative activity. We will make soft covered journals, then use them for drawing, watercoloring, and other mixed media crafts.
April 5, 2025
Transforming Grief with the Spiritual Companionship of Trees
9AM-Noon
4440 N Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ
Palo Verde Room
In the art of spiritual direction, we often refer to Spirit as the third chair, that wise presence which holds space for us to discern the deeper meaning of grief and loss. What if trees acted as that third chair, as a silent witness to our pain, loss and grief? What if trees both listen to us and also teach us at the same time? Let’s connect to their ancient wisdom.
We will first ground ourselves in the loving presence of trees through guided meditation. Our trees will hold space for the emotions of grief that arise from deep within us. Bringing this connection through ourselves, we will then create poetry together to honor the loss we have encountered in our lives. Lastly, we will express the poetry of our grief and transform it through movement. In her book Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, botanist and teacher from the Potawatomi Nation, says this, “What if you were a teacher but had no words to speak your knowledge? What if you had no language at all and yet there was something you needed to say? Wouldn’t you dance it?” And so shall we dance, as trees do, to transform the wounds of our heart into a sacred place of hope.
March 27-May 29, 2025
Integrative Storytelling Therapy Group: For survivors of a sudden,
traumatic and/or violent death loss
Facilitated by Carol S Miller, LCSW and Chandel M Beck, MS, LAC
In-person on Thursdays 5-7PM AZ Time
The Integrative Storytelling series provides a basic understanding of grief and
the interweaving of trauma while offering experiential activities and resources on how you might be
able to begin to make sense of and navigate through your new reality. Providing a focus on mindful
engagement, commemoration, and resiliency, this group offers survivors a safe place to experience
emotional support through the sharing of their person’s life story while processing the factors
surrounding their death.
The next ten-week series will begin in March of 2025 and meet in person for the duration of the series.
The groups are open to adults (18 years old and above). Please note the cost of attendance is $330
(sliding fee arrangements are possible on an as-needed basis).
If you or anyone you know might be interested in joining this group, please contact one of the
facilitators at CarolSMillerLCSW@gmail.com / 520-477-6930 or Chandel.Beck@gmail.com /
520-314-8220. Group size is limited, so please contact a trained facilitator as soon as possible.
March 20, 2025
You Lost Someone, Not Something:
Explaining the Grief of Pet Loss
Hosted by Roots & Roads
Virtual 6-7:30PM AZ Time
Despite the important role pets play in our lives, their passing is often treated as minor and the profound depth of the loss diminished by well-meaning, but misguided, friends and family. This talk will explore why pet loss grief is different than losing a human, why it is valid, why it is so very hard, and ways that a pet’s lifetime of love and devotion can be celebrated and memorialized.
Presenter: Sarah Hoggan
March 8, 2025
From Wisdom to Wellness: The Future of Aging
Hosted by The Center for Neurosciences Foundation
8AM – 1:15 PM
Marshall Conference Center,
Tucson Medical Center,
5301 E Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ 85712
The Center for Neurosciences Foundation, in partnership with TMC Health, is pleased to present this free educational symposium. Leading professionals in their respective fields will share the latest insights on key topics relevant to the community. Attendees will also have access to valuable resources from exhibitors.
Symposium Topics:
Alzheimer’s Disease Research with Michael Badruddoja, MD, and the Center for Neurosciences Medical Research Department
Strokes and Stroke Prevention with Arunit (Jessey) Chugh, MD
Grief and Loss in Later Life with The Rev. Frank R. Williams, PhD
Hearing Loss with the Center for Neurosciences Audiology Department
Pain Management with William Ross, MD
Cognitive Issues with Frances West, NP-C
March 6-May 1, 2025
Sacred Sorrow: Grief group therapy for adults who are grieving the death
of a beloved person
Facilitated by Carol S Miller, LCSW and Chandel M Beck, MS, LAC
In-person on Thursdays 10:30-Noon AZ Time
Monsoon Light, LLC offers a safe space for bereaved adults to share their stories, learn what coping
looks like in grief, and attempt to make sense of and navigate their new reality with gentleness and
awareness. The Sacred Sorrow group provides a secular and non-pathologizing approach, offering
grief psychoeducation through experiential and therapeutic resourcing activities. Providing a focus
on mindfulness through the lens of narrative, existential, and attachment theory with a dose of
neuroscience, this therapy group offers bereaved adults a safe place to experience therapeutic support through acknowledgment, consciousness, and compassionate witness.
The next ten-week series will begin in March of 2025 and meet in person for the duration of the series.
The groups are open to adults (18 years old and above). Attendance costs $200 and sliding fee
arrangements are possible as needed.
If you or anyone you know might be interested in joining this group, please contact one of the
facilitators at titleyrubio@gmail.com or 520-314-8220. Group size islimited,so please contact us as
soon as possible.
February 22, 2025
Living with Uncertainty in Times of Transition
10-11:30AM
Virtual
February 20, 2025
Death and Dying: An O’odham Point of View
Hosted by Roots & Roads
Virtual 6-7:30PM AZ Time
Dr. Ned Norris, Jr., an enrolled citizen of the Tohono O’odham Nation, will share his perspective on how he and many other O’odham citizens experience the dying, grieving and emotional process of the passing of a loved one. He will also share with the audience the pre and post process of how many O’odham prepare for the eventual passing, the preparations taken by many O’odham to the point of laying the deceased to rest and the time after death.
Presenter: Dr. Ned Norris, Jr.
January 16, 2025
Re-membering through Ritual
Hosted by Roots & Roads
Virtual 6-7:30PM AZ Time
Candi K. Cann kicks off the 2025 season of Roots & Roads’ series Ritual and Remembrance by highlighting various rituals and practices surrounding grief around the world. From food rituals to embodied practices honoring the dead, Cann argues that all losses should be honored, and points to grief practices as a successful example of reinserting the dead into memory construction. Utilizing continuing bonds theory, Cann argues that it is important to continue our relationship with the dead, re-membering them through ritual, and allowing the dead to find a place in life after loss.
Presenter: Candi K. Cann
November 9, 2024
Awe, Grief, and Finding Poetry
10AM-Noon
Join Arts researchers Sydney Streightiff and RobinLi Uber in a Creative Encounters in Awe Walking workshop focused on the intersection of Awe and Grief. Together we will focus on how to use awe to ground ourselves in our feelings, and how poets have used their craft to do the same. Then, participants will be invited to create their own found poems from magazines using collage techniques. No poetry experience required, this will be a process-oriented space for creative exploration and sharing will be optional.
The Awe Collective is run by Dr. Jennie Gubner and her Ph.D. candidate, Sydney Streightiff, and explores how creativity can be used as a tool to enhance and encourage the wellness practice of awe walking. For more information visit awe.arizona.edu
October 19, 2024
Walking the Path of Loss: A Community Labyrinth Building and Meditation Experience
9AM-Noon
4625 E. River Rd., Tucson, AZ 85718
The labyrinth is an ancient symbol for the personal paths we each walk. Labyrinth walking is a meditation practice that presents us with the opportunity to reflect on our lived experiences while navigating twists and turns in the path before us.
Under the guidance of labyrinth facilitator Charles Gillispie, MFA, we will collectively create a temporary labyrinth within the community center. Once created, we will walk in acknowledgement of our collective and personal losses.
September 19, 2024
Effective and Enduring Suicide Bereavement Support
Hosted by Roots & Roads
Virtual 6-7:30PM AZ Time
It is said that for every suicide, 135 people are affected, creating a continuum of people affected whether long-term or simply by being exposed to the knowledge of the traumatic event. Grief and mourning for those impacted by suicide have unique reactions due to the coexistence of trauma, the increased stigmatization and risk factors that can arise, and other such nuances.
We invite you to come learn about these variables as well as what helpful and lasting actions you can take to support those bereaved by suicide.
Presenters: Chandel Beck, Jennifer Titley-Rubio
July 20, 2024
Being There for Someone in Grief
with Marianna Cacciatore
Virtual, Free, 10-11:30AM AZ Time
In life, loss and grief are certain. Every day we encounter people who are struggling because something or someone significant in their life is gone. We want to help these people, and we wonder what to say or do that would be welcomed, kind, and useful. In a culture that has often taught us to bypass or ignore our grief, this skill does not come naturally. However, as we learn to tenderly face the sorrows and joys of our own life, compassion, humility and the art of generous listening begins to grow within us. With attention and practice, we become a trusted companion to someone in grief.
In this class Marianna Cacciatore will use poetry and teachings from her book, Being There for Someone in Grief, to help us acknowledge the many losses encountered in everyday life, and become more present when we find ourselves in the territory of grief.
June 13, 2024
Using Creative Arts Expression as a Supportive Tool for Grief
Hosted by Roots & Roads
Virtual 6-7:30PM AZ Time
Art engagement and the creative process can be beneficial for everyone, at any age. Creativity, in its many forms, is an important way that all human beings express themselves, integrate elements of their lives, and make meaning of their experiences. In this session, participants will be introduced to expressive arts and art therapy and their potential as a resource to support each person’s unique grieving process.
Dr. Carlock will provide a brief overview of art therapy and some situations when seeking out a professional art therapist would be indicated. She will also cover some general ways individuals can utilize creativity and personal art expression on their own, as a therapeutic tool. This type of creative expression is accessible to anyone because there’s no training in fine arts needed. The focus is on self-expression and how the process of engaging in a creative activity helps the body and mind rather than striving for aesthetic goals. Several ideas for personal engagement to support grieving will be shared.
May 16, 2024
“Where Words Fail, Music Speaks”
Hosted by Roots & Roads
Virtual 5-6PM AZ Time
Music touches every aspect of our life—mind, body, and spirit, and promotes overall wellness. In a therapeutic setting music may help to alleviate the physical, emotional, and mental stress that accompanies serious illness.
This session will be led by four musicians who have spent years playing for hospice patients and their loved ones. The presenters will share insights from their training and work as to how music can benefit the grief patients experience as they near end-of-life and the grief journey their loved ones face. The musicians will play or share music that they have found beneficial to patients and families dealing with grief. We will also have the opportunity to share our own experiences and reflections during a brief small group breakout session. Please join us for this engaging evening of the healing power of music in grief and loss.
May 11, 2024
Supporting those Experiencing Infertility and Miscarriage
In-person 10-11AM
At Literacy Connects
200 E Yavapai Rd, Tucson, AZ 85705
Donation-based
Join us for this workshop based in learning how to provide compassionate support to those experiencing infertility and miscarriage.
April 13, 2024
What Can Horses Teach Us About Being There for Someone in Grief?
In-person, 9AM-Noon
Located at TROT
Join us for this in-person experiential workshop where the horses at TROT will help us explore what good grief support looks like through gentle, guided pasture encounters.
No riding involved, close-toed shoes required