Grief & Loss Workshop: Facilitating Conversations on Sudden Loss
Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: In-person at 1892 W Broadway, Vancouver BC
Cost: $50 (includes art supplies & handouts)
A Space to Gently Explore Grief
Grieving the sudden loss of someone we love can be overwhelming, isolating, and often difficult to talk about. This three-hour, in-person workshop is designed to provide a gentle, supportive space for adults to reflect, connect, and begin to make sense of their grief—especially when it arrives suddenly and without warning.
Facilitated by Registered Clinical Counsellor Chandramalar (Malar) Mogana Chandran, this workshop is intended to:
- Normalize grief and reduce the stigma that often surrounds it
- Reduce feelings of isolation through shared stories and connection
- Increase understanding of your own experience and how others grieve
- Reconnect you with cultural or community-based practices of grieving
- Offer an art activity and mindfulness skill that you can take with you into your everyday life
What to Expect
You’ll be guided through reflective conversations and shared learning around:
- Exploring sudden loss and its impacts
- Understanding grief and its many symptoms
- Recognizing how grief affects the mind and body
- Naming common existential challenges that can emerge after loss
- Honouring cultural and communal grief practices
You will also be introduced to:
- A creative art activity (no experience required)
- A simple mindfulness skill to support daily grounding and emotional regulation
All art materials and handouts are provided.
While this workshop is therapeutic in nature, it is not a substitute for individual therapy. We encourage you to seek out counselling services or informal supports to continue processing your grief and loss in ways that feel meaningful to you.
Who Is This For?
We warmly welcome adults who have experienced sudden loss to this workshop- whether recent or further in the past—who are looking for a space to reflect, feel seen, and gather tools for navigating grief. Whether you’ve shared your story many times or haven’t found the words yet, you are welcome here.
This workshop may be eligible for reimbursement through your benefits provider if you have coverage for a Registered Clinical Counsellor and/or group therapy. Please reach out to your benefits provider to confirm your eligibility.
If you are interested in joining this workshop, please fill out the form below. If you have any questions about the workshop or counselling services, we would love to connect with you further! You can book a free 15-minute consultation call with Malar here if you have questions about the group and if it is right for you.
You can also sign up here through eventbrite. To save the eventbrite transaction fee and pay by e-transfer please contact our office: info@havencollective.ca or call us at 778-819-8429.
SIGN UPAbout the Facilitator – Chandramalar (Malar) Mogana Chandran
(She/They), RCC, CCC,
Malar is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) and Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) and is dedicated to creating safe, inclusive spaces for emotional healing. With a culturally responsive and trauma-informed approach, Malar works with individuals navigating life’s most challenging moments—including the often unspoken complexities of grief and sudden loss.
As a Singaporean Tamil counsellor based in Vancouver, Malar integrates lived experience,
clinical expertise, and a deep respect for the role of culture and community in the grieving
process. Malar brings a warm, grounded presence to her work and strives to honour each individual’s unique way of processing loss. Malar is also fluent in English and conversational in Tamil and Malay
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I have to share my grief story in the group? A: You can share as much or as little you would like or are comfortable with in the group.
Q:How do I know that this group is right for me? A: This one day group is meant for anyone 18 years of age and older who has experienced a loss they are grieving.
Q: Is this group covered by insurance? A: Many insurance plans offer coverage for group counselling, and if your plan has coverage for a Registered Clinical Counsellor please check in with insurance provider to see if you have coverage. You will receive a receipt upon payment that you can submit to your insurance.
Q: How do you accept payment? A: We accept payment by e-transfer or credit card.
Q: Where is the group located? A: The group is located at our Haven Wellness Collective counselling office in Vancouver at 1892 W Broadway & Cypress. The building is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible as the office is located on the second floor with one flight of stairs and no elevator.
Q: What if I need more counselling after this group? A: If you are interested in further counselling after the group, Malar and the rest of our counselling team offer grief and bereavement counselling. You can learn more about them by reading their team bio’s.
