December Newsletter

Let's Talk About... Grief

Each month, we’re taking a deeper dive into a topic related to trauma-informed or gender-responsive care.

This month, we’re addressing grief in observance of National Grief Awareness Week.

National Grief Awareness Week aims to break the stigma surrounding grief, acknowledge it as a natural response to loss, and recognize its different manifestations and effects. Grief is the natural emotional, mental, and physical response to a loss. The experience and duration of grief is deeply personal and varies widely, but most people gradually adjust over time, experiencing lessening periods of sadness, longing, or reflection. 

For some, grief can persist longer or feel more intense, and in certain cases, it may develop into Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD), a condition marked by enduring emotional pain, difficulty accepting the loss, and disruption to daily life. While PGD affects a smaller portion of people, understanding the spectrum of grief helps both providers and community members support those who are struggling.

Common experiences of grief include sadness, tearfulness, disrupted sleep or appetite, difficulty concentrating, and shifts in energy or motivation. People may also experience physical sensations such as fatigue, tension, or somatic pain. Grief responses can be influenced by personal coping styles, social support, cultural norms, and prior experiences with loss or trauma.

Featured Clinical Resources

• Training from the Center for Prolonged Grief at Columbia University
  • Includes virtual workshops, live and on-demand webinars, and a self-paced online course. CPG also provides customized training for organizations. 
    
    
• American Psychological Association's Grief Tools
  • Database of articles and media from APA  focused on grief-related topics. 
    
    
• Resolve Through Sharing Bereavement Training
  
  • Live and on-demand courses providing evidence- and relationship-based bereavement education. 
    
    
• Free NASW Trainings
  • Understanding Traumatic Grief
  • Supporting People Grieving After Losing a Loved One to Suicide
    
    
• Free SAMHSA Trainings
  • Grief: A Simultaneously Unique, Yet Universal Experience
  • What To Do With the Wounds that Time Does Not Heal

Quick Tips for Navigating Grief

Here are a few small but meaningful things you can do for yourself or a loved one experiencing grief: 

Insights & Resources

With the cost of living continuing to rise, many people are entering this holiday season already stretched thin. The added challenges of family gatherings, crowded events, and disrupted routines can make the holidays stressful for everyone, but especially for trauma survivors, people experiencing mental illness or substance use disorder, and LGBTQIA+ and gender-diverse people.

The pressure to "perform" holiday cheer can instead create feelings of isolation, exhaustion, or overwhelm. Below are resources to help you find grounding, community, and support this season. If you’re able, many of these organizations also welcome donations or volunteers to support others in need during the holidays.

Support Resources: 

• Salvation Army Angel Tree
• SAMHSA Holiday Support Toolkit
• Connecticut Energy Assistance Program
• 988 Self-Care During the Holidays
• Mayo Clinic's tips for enjoying holiday gatherings while drinking responsibly

• 211 CT's Holiday Assistance Database, providing support for toys and food

Donation Initiatives: 

• United Way's The Giving Fund
• 211 CT list of special event and holiday volunteer opportunities
• United Way of Greater New Haven Volunteer Opportunities
• Susan B. Anthony Project Adopt a Family

What's Happening at The Consortium

November Recap

• Director of Marketing and Administration, Jaquanna (Quanna) Soules, celebrated her 6 year work anniversary! Quanna has long been the creative powerhouse behind our website, our annual report, and every quarterly training catalog, creating beautiful, unique designs. More recently, she has undertaken human resources responsibilities, seeking education and training and mentorship to ensure the team is empowered and protected.
  
  Quanna has remained dedicated to The Consortium through a pandemic, major leadership changes, and employee turnover. Always down to lend a hand, she has provided endless ideas and connections that make our programming a success, and her wisdom keeps us grounded and accountable to our goals.
  
  We truly couldn't do this work without Quanna. Her expertise, resilience, and leadership are integral, and we are beyond grateful to work alongside her every day.
  
  
• We released our Winter 2026 training catalog on November 17th, which includes unique new topics like sex and porn addiction, understanding ABI through grief models, working with deaf and hard-of-hearing populations, and much more.      
  
  
• Our team put together Thanksgiving food supplies and donated them to the Keefe Community Center in Hamden. A special thank-you to Marisa for handling the shopping and making this contribution possible!
  

What We're Working On

• Quanna is hard at work on our combined 2025 Annual Report and 2026 Calendar, which will be dropping soon! 

• Project Coordinator Alana Valdez will host a virtual training, Building Your Brand: Digital Marketing for Client Engagement, on December 10th.