Coping with Grief, Loss, and Chronic Illness

HAMILTON, Ontario - Sept. 14, 2015 - PRLog -- In the webinar starting at 2pm on September 20, Dr. Howard Winokuer covers various aspects of loss and how you can manage some of the accompanying emotions.

Following the webinar in Classroom B at St. Joe's Hospital, Alida van Dijk will answer questions and introduce local resources for people who could benefit from some support in dealing with loss and grief.

Alida noted: “C.S. Lewis begins his book entitled A Grief Observed with the words, 'No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.' Receiving a diagnosis of a chronic illness and learning how to live with all the realities of a disease is like being on an unplanned journey. You didn't choose it, but suddenly you are on this roller coaster and you can't get off until the ride is over. Though you can't change the diagnosis, you can learn how to cope with and manage your grief over losses you encounter on your journey.”

Alida van Dijk is a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario and a certified Specialist Pastoral Counselling with the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC). Alida is a Provisional Supervisor in CASC, supervising a Pastoral Counselling Education unit for the chaplaincy residents at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. She is completing her doctoral dissertation at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary / Wilfrid Laurier University on the topic of transforming trauma into post-traumatic growth.

On-site parking (payment required) and street parking (free) is available.

This public presentation is part of an ongoing series of free 2-hour informational support meetings hosted by the Hamilton Chapter of the PKD Foundation of Canada. Registration is not required. For more information, visit the website www.endpkd.ca