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Grief Support Series
You Don’t Have to Walk This Journey Alone
A Compassionate Five-Week Grief Support Series
Grief doesn’t end. It changes.
You don’t have to face it alone.
The loss of someone we love changes us forever.
Life continues, but it rarely feels the same. While others may expect us to “move on,” grief doesn’t work that way.
Instead, we gradually learn how to live a different life, one that continues to hold both love and loss.
If you have experienced the loss of a loved one at least six months ago, we warmly invite you to join You Don’t Have to Walk This Journey Alone, a compassionate five-week Grief Support Series in Wasaga Beach.
A Place Where You Don’t Have to Explain Your Grief
Grief is deeply personal.
There is no timetable. No single path. And no “right” way to feel.
Some days you may smile.
Some days you may cry.
Some days you may do both.
This series isn’t about forgetting someone you love or “getting over” your loss.
It’s about learning how to carry the love and memories of someone who will always be part of you, while discovering hope, connection and meaning in the life that continues around you.
You don’t need to have the right words.
You don’t need to have everything figured out.
You simply come as you are.
What to Expect
Guided with compassion by Mary English and assisted by Terri Portelli, this intimate five-week series offers a warm, welcoming and confidential environment where you are free to share your story, or simply listen.
Through heartfelt conversation, personal reflection, journalling, creative expression and guest speakers who have supported grieving families and experienced loss themselves, participants will have opportunities to connect with others who understand that grief is not something we just leave behind.
Together, we’ll explore:
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Understanding that every grief journey is unique.
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Giving yourself permission to experience every emotion.
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Honouring your loved one’s memory while embracing life today.
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Finding comfort and strength through connection and shared experiences.
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Learning how to ask for the support you need.
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Exploring who you are becoming as you move forward with your loss—not beyond it.
Above all, this is a place to be heard, understood and reminded that you do not have to walk this journey alone.
Mary English, Founder
Open Heart Wellness Health
Terri Portelli will be assisting in this program and brings decades of experience in the medical field, together with extensive studies in energy healing, intuitive development and meditation.
Her work includes Reiki, workshops and other wellness practices designed to encourage personal reflection, relaxation and self-discovery.
Presented by Mary English, Founder
Open Heart Wellness Health
Mary English brings nearly 40 years of experience as a healthcare practitioner to her work supporting people through life’s challenges.
A former registered nurse and now a licensed coaching practitioner, Mary’s experience led her to recognize that people respond to stress, change and difficult life experiences in very different ways.
Through Open Heart Wellness Health, Mary provides life coaching, grief counselling, and holistic wellness services with an emphasis on professionalism, confidentiality, and the creation of a safe, trusted environment for her clients. Most recently, she assisted in grief counselling groups with Georgian Triangle Hospice.
Her approach recognizes both the emotional and personal dimensions of navigating difficult periods in our lives, helping individuals explore challenges and develop strategies for moving forward.
What Clients Say About Mary
“Mary is professional and gentle, and the environment she creates is calming and relaxing.”
What Your Five Weeks Will Look Like
Over five Tuesday mornings, our small group will come together to talk, listen, reflect and learn.
There will be opportunities for:
Conversation
Share what you are experiencing and hear from others who understand loss.
Creative Expression
Explore different ways of remembering, reflecting and honouring the person you love.
Personal Reflection
Take time to explore your feelings, memories and experiences without judgement.
Guest Speakers
Hear perspectives from people who have supported grieving families and from those who have experienced significant loss themselves.
Journalling
Use writing as a gentle way to express thoughts and emotions that may sometimes be difficult to say aloud.
Connection
Perhaps most importantly, spend time with people who understand that grief doesn’t follow a timetable.
A Small Group by Design
Grief is personal, and meaningful conversations need space.
For that reason, You Don’t Have to Walk This Journey Alone is limited to just 6–10 participants.
Keeping the group intentionally small helps create an environment where everyone has an opportunity to be heard while allowing relationships and trust to develop naturally over the five weeks.
Coffee and light refreshments will be provided at each gathering.
Perhaps This Is for Someone You Love
Sometimes the person who needs support isn’t the person who goes looking for it.
They may quietly carry their grief every day.
If someone came to mind as you read this page, consider sharing this invitation with them.
Sometimes one of the greatest gifts we can offer is simply letting someone know:
You don’t have to do this alone.
Take Your Next Gentle Step
Whether you are looking for understanding, encouragement, connection or simply a place where you don’t have to explain your grief, Mary would be honoured to welcome you.
With only 6–10 spaces available, we encourage early registration.
Grief doesn’t end. It changes.
You don’t have to face it alone.
