#188 Finding a Voice for Unspoken Grief

Today, I interview Beth Erlander, a grief expert and therapist who spent years believing she had to stop being a caregiver before she could truly support other caregivers. Although she had helped people through grief for more than 26 years, Beth hesitated to focus on this work because she was still living it herself. In our conversation, she didn't think she was ready, and she wasn't sure she had enough distance from her own experience to guide others through theirs. She shares what helped her stop waiting, why she finally became comfortable with not having all the answers, and how her own experience gave her a deeper understanding of the people she felt called to serve. We also explore why grief is more than death loss, how it can show up in life's transitions, and what it means to give grief a voice.Today, Beth helps those who unexpectedly find themselves caring for a spouse or partner navigate the emotional realities of caregiving. Through her professional experience and her own journey, she is creating programs that help caregivers feel seen, understood, and supported while navigating a grief that often goes unrecognized.__________________Beth Erlander, LPC, grief expert and seasoned therapist with over 26 years of experience. She works with grief and loss issues from any kind of sudden life transition. Yet the main focus of her work is serving those who find themselves thrust into the role of being the caregiver for their spouse or partner.Her memoir, Life Upside Down: The Fall That Transformed Our Lives, Lifting Me Through Grief Love and Quadriplegia speaks to the journey of being her partner’s caregiver for the past 13 years.Beth is a Creative Grief Support Practitioner, Art Therapist and EMDR practitioner. She is currently training in Somatic Experiencing, Peter Levine’s work where she is gathering more tools to equip grievers to navigate the overwhelming experience of grief in the body.Beth runs an online program called The Wheel of Grief, which gives grievers a map to navigate the wild terrain of loss. She co-leads grief rituals and ceremonies, both online and in person. She is also a Cowry Shell Diviner taught to her by the late and great Elder Malidoma Somé.__________________Find BETH here:Book: https://crowflowpublications.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betherlander_grief2joy/Support the showI’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.