SS Sarah Dempsey

Sarah shared her personal journey of loss and recovery, which led her to pursue a career in grief counseling. She highlighted the lack of mental health resources on her reservation and the challenges faced by indigenous communities in accessing support for grief and trauma. Sarah emphasized the collective and compounding nature of indigenous grief, often exacerbated by frequent losses and a lack of time for proper processing. She described her efforts to create accessible grief support services on her reservation, including initiatives like providing staff with time for counseling sessions.