WHO WE ARE
As a registered charity, Good Grief Central provides donation-funded loss and grief support, training, education and counselling.
We work with people coming to terms with loss due to the death of a loved one, homicide, rape, abuse, physical and emotional disabilities, unemployment, chronic and terminal illness, etc.
We work with people coming to terms with loss due to the death of a loved one, homicide, rape, abuse, physical and emotional disabilities, unemployment, chronic and terminal illness, etc.
Good Grief Central evolved from the Good Grief Workshops for Children and Teens. These biannual workshops have been in operation for over two decades and were founded by leading grief expert Dawn Cruchet.
On July 1, 2017, Good Grief Central became a not-for-profit (NFP) organization. Then, in a very exciting development, we attained Charitable Status on January 1, 2023. We will continue to provide the Good Grief Workshop for Children and Teens. In addition, we are expanding our service offerings to be able to offer qualified professional counselling, support, information, workshops, lectures, education, and consulting. These services will be free to all those in need. Our credentials, skills, and expertise in thanatology (the study of death and death-related behaviours, thoughts, feelings, and phenomena) will be utilized to help Canadian communities and community members struggling with loss and grief-related challenges due to homicide, suicide, accident, chronic illness, palliative care, caregiver advocacy, loss, and death.
We aim to provide direct and timely aid to Canadian individuals of any age with a family member, friend, colleague, or other person close to them who has died. We will do this through workshops, lectures, support groups, a twice-yearly weekend retreat, one-on-one loss and grief counselling, and other beneficial services pertaining to loss, death, and grief challenges as needs become evident.
Successful fundraising is critical to our ongoing growth and success. Our fundraising efforts will be greatly enhanced now that we can issue income tax receipts. As a Canadian charitable organization, we intend to raise money by bringing awareness, education, and information to communities through publicity and special events.
We aspire to engage other healthcare experts and professionals to further explore and educate in the thanatology field, leading to improved community awareness. We recognize the importance of passionate, dedicated volunteers to our Organization. We remain determined to commit and invest in the ongoing education of our volunteers by training them in the area of thanatology. The training and experience gained by our volunteers will bring a much coveted and valuable skill to their communities. Furthermore, our volunteers will gain the opportunity for future involvement and service, should any aspire to employment in the health care profession or to remain a volunteer in their community.
On July 1, 2017, Good Grief Central became a not-for-profit (NFP) organization. Then, in a very exciting development, we attained Charitable Status on January 1, 2023. We will continue to provide the Good Grief Workshop for Children and Teens. In addition, we are expanding our service offerings to be able to offer qualified professional counselling, support, information, workshops, lectures, education, and consulting. These services will be free to all those in need. Our credentials, skills, and expertise in thanatology (the study of death and death-related behaviours, thoughts, feelings, and phenomena) will be utilized to help Canadian communities and community members struggling with loss and grief-related challenges due to homicide, suicide, accident, chronic illness, palliative care, caregiver advocacy, loss, and death.
We aim to provide direct and timely aid to Canadian individuals of any age with a family member, friend, colleague, or other person close to them who has died. We will do this through workshops, lectures, support groups, a twice-yearly weekend retreat, one-on-one loss and grief counselling, and other beneficial services pertaining to loss, death, and grief challenges as needs become evident.
Successful fundraising is critical to our ongoing growth and success. Our fundraising efforts will be greatly enhanced now that we can issue income tax receipts. As a Canadian charitable organization, we intend to raise money by bringing awareness, education, and information to communities through publicity and special events.
We aspire to engage other healthcare experts and professionals to further explore and educate in the thanatology field, leading to improved community awareness. We recognize the importance of passionate, dedicated volunteers to our Organization. We remain determined to commit and invest in the ongoing education of our volunteers by training them in the area of thanatology. The training and experience gained by our volunteers will bring a much coveted and valuable skill to their communities. Furthermore, our volunteers will gain the opportunity for future involvement and service, should any aspire to employment in the health care profession or to remain a volunteer in their community.
MEET OUR TEAM
JILLIAN LUCHT
PRESIDENT, FOUNDER, CONSULTANT
SOCIAL WORKER
I am a clinical social worker and member of the Ordre Des Travailleuses Sociales. I received my Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Social Work from McGill University. I began my social work career in cancer care in a large city hospital, working with patients dealing with feelings of loss, grief, bereavement, and anticipatory grief. This sparked my interest, and I began to learn more about loss and bereavement. I then met and took seminars with Dawn Cruchet, who got me involved in the Good Grief Workshop for Children and Teens. That first experience as a Good Grief Workshop facilitator hooked me to the cause! Even though I felt that, in comparison to these children, my grief was insignificant, the experience taught me that no grief or loss is insignificant, and always has an impact on our lives. Year after year, the workshop allows me an opportunity to commemorate my loved ones who have died.
NATALIE SEGALL
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FOUNDER
CONSULTANT
THANATOLOGIST
LOSS AND GRIEF SPECIALIST
On Sunday, April 25th, 1977, at the age of 48, my father took his own life suddenly, leaving my mother, age 35, me, age 16, and my brother, age 14, destitute and devastated. I had been the only one at home with him at the time, and though I pleaded with my dad not to leave us, his mental and physical state of pain overruled all my appeals. From that evening, my life, personality, faith in the future, and ability to be hopeful and trusting ceased to exist. All my life decisions afterward came from a place of fear, anxiety, mistrust, and cynicism.
I was unable to form relationships and attachments. I developed ineffective coping skills that only addressed immediate concerns, with no thought to future consequences. I saw no point in planning anything and had no aspirations or motivation to move forward with my life. As if through a fog of numbing surrealism, I managed to work, maintain an emotionally detached social life, and move robotically forward through my life.
Any hope of enjoyment was met with fear of loss; any hope of attachment to another held suspicion of failure; any attempts by others to get close to me were met with indifference as I struggled to hide my shameful secret and feelings of guilt for not having been able to save my father’s life, for not having been important enough for him to have remained alive. Yet life moved forward, and I reluctantly and suspiciously moved along beside it as a voyeur, rather than with it, as a willing participant.
After two, five, seventeen years, I did not possess the knowledge or awareness to realize or even understand the concept of lifelong grief and its permanent scar on my life. I imagined that I had put the matter behind me, and had "handled it all just fine, thank you very much."
In 1993, my mother was diagnosed with tracheal cancer and died within 7½ months of her diagnosis, on March 17th, 1994. I was her sole caregiver throughout her illness and subsequent death, putting my life on hold to take care of her every need. After that, it was a struggle to get my life back; having spent almost eight months living in the hospital with my mom, my social life was nonexistent. As if suddenly pulled into a time warp, my father's suicide, and the trauma I had silently suffered in its wake again became very present. Along with my mother's horrible death, I was overcome by a state of hopeless despair. Friends and even family members did not feel comfortable with my grief, nor had they the capability, and in most cases, the inclination, to listen to my story without judgement and platitudes. There was no one with whom I could share my fear, confusion, frustration, and despair.
I was very much alone again, and wondered if anyone else had ever gone through such traumatic experiences and felt like I did. I found it extremely difficult to get back to any semblance of a life, as the landscape had once again forever changed, and so had I.
Sometime later, I met Dawn Cruchet, a Montreal grief specialist, who helped me understand what had happened and bring meaning to it. This enabled me to find a way to live successfully with my grief. I decided to help other caregivers and grievers like Dawn had helped me... I had found my calling!
Armed with new-found motivation and focus, I returned to school and obtained two degrees and several certifications. In addition, I spent several years working with patients, family members, and health care professionals as the Cancer Patient Education Coordinator at the Oncology Day Center, at the Royal Victoria Hospital, and on the oncology floor of the Montreal General Hospital. I also worked as a volunteer at Mount Sinai Hospital Palliative Care. In addition, I ran grief, bereavement, and Coping Skills support groups for Hope & Cope at the Jewish General Hospital and the Wellness Center. All this while maintaining a private practice as a psychotherapist at the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex!
Through my work - as an academic, professional, and volunteer- it became strikingly clear to me that there is a profound need for grief education and facilitation, given by qualified loss and grief specialists – a need that is not being met.
I was unable to form relationships and attachments. I developed ineffective coping skills that only addressed immediate concerns, with no thought to future consequences. I saw no point in planning anything and had no aspirations or motivation to move forward with my life. As if through a fog of numbing surrealism, I managed to work, maintain an emotionally detached social life, and move robotically forward through my life.
Any hope of enjoyment was met with fear of loss; any hope of attachment to another held suspicion of failure; any attempts by others to get close to me were met with indifference as I struggled to hide my shameful secret and feelings of guilt for not having been able to save my father’s life, for not having been important enough for him to have remained alive. Yet life moved forward, and I reluctantly and suspiciously moved along beside it as a voyeur, rather than with it, as a willing participant.
After two, five, seventeen years, I did not possess the knowledge or awareness to realize or even understand the concept of lifelong grief and its permanent scar on my life. I imagined that I had put the matter behind me, and had "handled it all just fine, thank you very much."
In 1993, my mother was diagnosed with tracheal cancer and died within 7½ months of her diagnosis, on March 17th, 1994. I was her sole caregiver throughout her illness and subsequent death, putting my life on hold to take care of her every need. After that, it was a struggle to get my life back; having spent almost eight months living in the hospital with my mom, my social life was nonexistent. As if suddenly pulled into a time warp, my father's suicide, and the trauma I had silently suffered in its wake again became very present. Along with my mother's horrible death, I was overcome by a state of hopeless despair. Friends and even family members did not feel comfortable with my grief, nor had they the capability, and in most cases, the inclination, to listen to my story without judgement and platitudes. There was no one with whom I could share my fear, confusion, frustration, and despair.
I was very much alone again, and wondered if anyone else had ever gone through such traumatic experiences and felt like I did. I found it extremely difficult to get back to any semblance of a life, as the landscape had once again forever changed, and so had I.
Sometime later, I met Dawn Cruchet, a Montreal grief specialist, who helped me understand what had happened and bring meaning to it. This enabled me to find a way to live successfully with my grief. I decided to help other caregivers and grievers like Dawn had helped me... I had found my calling!
Armed with new-found motivation and focus, I returned to school and obtained two degrees and several certifications. In addition, I spent several years working with patients, family members, and health care professionals as the Cancer Patient Education Coordinator at the Oncology Day Center, at the Royal Victoria Hospital, and on the oncology floor of the Montreal General Hospital. I also worked as a volunteer at Mount Sinai Hospital Palliative Care. In addition, I ran grief, bereavement, and Coping Skills support groups for Hope & Cope at the Jewish General Hospital and the Wellness Center. All this while maintaining a private practice as a psychotherapist at the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex!
Through my work - as an academic, professional, and volunteer- it became strikingly clear to me that there is a profound need for grief education and facilitation, given by qualified loss and grief specialists – a need that is not being met.
MARIA CORSI
SECRETARY
My world came crashing down in August 2021 when my one and only child, my beloved son, moved to Heaven. I didn’t think I could live in a world without my son. He was my everything - my past, my present, and my future. I was devastated, and the pain was just unbearable. I have never experienced such emptiness, loneliness, sorrow, and the feeling that nothing was left for me to look forward to. I just wanted my son back home with me.
I knew I needed help and that my son wanted me to move forward. After searching and searching, I fell upon Natalie Segall, who has been my saviour! I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Natalie, Good Grief Central, my faith in God, and my willingness to get better and bring back some normalcy into my life. Through much therapy and support groups from Good Grief Central, I have come to accept that my grief is forever, but I also know that grief doesn’t define me. The relationship I had with my son didn’t end; it continues on a different level – it is now a spiritual relationship. I am coping with my grief. Each day is different, and step by step, I am learning to smile and enjoy life again.
I’ve decided to become involved with Good Grief Central, an organization close to my heart. I want to be able to give back and volunteer my time to help others going through similar situations. I’ve learned that you don’t have to go through pain, suffering, and sorrow alone.
I knew I needed help and that my son wanted me to move forward. After searching and searching, I fell upon Natalie Segall, who has been my saviour! I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Natalie, Good Grief Central, my faith in God, and my willingness to get better and bring back some normalcy into my life. Through much therapy and support groups from Good Grief Central, I have come to accept that my grief is forever, but I also know that grief doesn’t define me. The relationship I had with my son didn’t end; it continues on a different level – it is now a spiritual relationship. I am coping with my grief. Each day is different, and step by step, I am learning to smile and enjoy life again.
I’ve decided to become involved with Good Grief Central, an organization close to my heart. I want to be able to give back and volunteer my time to help others going through similar situations. I’ve learned that you don’t have to go through pain, suffering, and sorrow alone.
MAURA CORRIGAN
VICE PRESIDENT & TREASURER
In 2014 I experienced multiple losses. I fell into a deep depression, lost all focus and the want, or will to participate in life.
I knew I was in trouble and searched for help. I found Natalie Segall and Good Grief Central. Natalie patiently helped me to understand the emotions I was feeling, reassured me that I was not crazy, and provided me with a safe place to express the intense emotions that were overwhelming me. Friends were eager to comfort me but were unsure how to do so. Natalie showed me how to ask for the help I needed.
In the process, I learned how to take better care of myself. In addition to working through not only my current losses, Natalie helped me work through an immense amount of compounded grief from my past that had not been healed.
I started volunteering at Good Grief Workshop for Children and Teens, and here I met more wonderful people, all with the common ground of loss and grief. I consider myself very fortunate to have found Good Grief Central. Because of my experience, I want to pay it forward the best way I can by giving my time and energy to something very dear to my heart and spreading the word of this wonderful organization.
Whether your loss has been sudden or expected, Natalie Segall and Good Grief Central will guide and assist you as you learn to cope with the depth of emotions and experiences that are part of healthy grieving.