We are working on rescheduling this event and will be in touch with those who have already registered as quickly as we can about their options. Stay tuned!
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Whether you are a friend, a family member, or a professional, it may feel awkward being with and connecting with someone who is moving towards the end of life. We wonder: 'What can I say? What is okay to ask? How do I lovingly communicate?’
Sharing stories and informal conversations can enrich the tender time of being with a loved one and building stronger bonds, even at the end of life. Children can (and should) be included as well. In this workshop you will hear from a hospice chaplain, the daughter of an Alzheimer’s patient, a facilitator of storytelling for seniors, the author of Healing Conversations Now, and members of the Tender Living Care Program at the Center for Grieving Children.
In the morning there will be a panel discussion and in the afternoon a choice of mini workshops to delve further into your area of interest.
***Please note: At registration you will select your “mini workshop(s)” for the afternoon. Please choose either the ONE 3 hour workshop or TWO 90 minute workshops.
One 3 Hour Workshop Option (1:15-4:30)
The Essence of Storytelling Conversations: How To
with Joan Chadbourne
Connecting through storytelling heals and energizes; it brings joy. How do we initiate, engage, elicit stories and listen deeply? We'll explore the above experientially and discover the gift of bonding through storytelling. We'll have fun!
Joan Chadbourne Ed.D. has been a professor, holistic counselor and consultant to organizations. She co-authored "Healing Conversations Now," which tells stories and teaches how to use them to enhance relationships. She focuses her work on deep energetic bonding, while living and dying fully alive. When people share their stories they give us a gift; it is an honor.
Two 90 Minute Workshops Option
(You will choose one workshop for each time slot)
1:15 - 2:45 PM Workshop
Option #1: Sharing and Caring Across the Generations
with Pat Stone, Sheryl Plummer, and Patricia Ellen
When someone is ill or dying, often there is confusion about how to include family members of all ages in a caring and safe way. There are wonderful opportunities to open conversations through words, art, play, story books, pictures, that can connect all the generations during this tender time and create beautiful memories as well. In this interactive workshop we will explore and experience activities, stories and concepts with members of the TLC program at The Center for Grieving Children.
Pat Stone is a TLC Volunteer and Team Coordinator overseeing all age groups, a facilitator of adults living with illness group, and a career educator working with children.
Sheryl Plummer is a TLC Volunteer and Team Coordinator supporting all age groups and a facilitator of the caregivers group.
Patricia Ellen is the co-founder and Abbess of Chime. She previously served as the TLC and Outreach Coordinator at the Center for Grieving Children and is the Co-Author of A Family’s Journey, Living with Illness and Finding Hope.
OR
Option #2: Deep Listening and Dementia
with Lisa Steele-Maley
We will explore the ways in which dementia invites a re-framing of perspective. Participants will practice deep listening as they support one another in considering the things that are most important to them, ie. the hallmarks of “a life well lived”. Together, we will consider creative and important ways to notice and honor the essence of a person that rests beneath their words, cognition and behavior. Our brief practice together will nurture our capacity to comfortably accompany others at the end of life and more gracefully embrace our own finite life.
Lisa Steele-Maley is an interfaith chaplain ordained by ChIME in 2019 and the author of Without a Map: A Caregiver’s Journey through the Wilderness of Heart and Mind. As she shares her story of accompanying her father through dementia’s unsolvable maze, Lisa invites others to accept and embrace their own experiences of life, loss, companionship, and enduring love.
3:00-4:30 PM Workshop
Option #1: Healing Conversations Embodied
with Susan Schell
Come and explore healing conversations from an embodied perspective.
Susan Schell has been teaching and performing from a foundation deeply rooted in the practice of improvisational forms for 40 years. She came east in the early 80’s to study in-depth the practice of Authentic Movement with Janet Adler. Since then, she has been exploring, developing and teaching on- going classes, intensives and retreats in the U.S. and abroad. In 2012 she completed a two year interfaith chaplaincy program and also serves as a hospice chaplain.
OR
Option #2: Story Circles for Older Adults
with Sue Hamlett
This will be a practical, hands-on introduction to facilitating a story circle with elders. We will discuss different models of storytelling as well as facilitation styles and challenges. This session will include an opportunity to participate in story circle.
Sue Hamlett is a 2019 graduate of the ChIME program. She thinks of herself as a “Chaplain in the wild.” She works at Maine Equal Justice, a legal advocacy organization focused on the elimination of poverty.
Limited scholarships are available. If you are interested in a scholarship, please contact Alaena for more information before registering.
This event was made possible by a grant from Maine Community Foundation, Hospice Fund. Thank you, MCF, for your generous support!
