ADA, Mich. — A local resident in Ada Township is offering grief support and education to those facing loss, filling a vital gap in the community.
Liz Freedman, who is not a therapist or doctor, and has been gaining knowledge about grief for years through different organizations and experiences. One of them being Brooke's Place, a non-profit organization that specializes in grief support, specially for young children. She aims to normalize the feelings and conversations that come with the grieving process.
"Grieving, as I said, is universal, but it's also so unique to the individual," Freedman said. "It's not about fixing. There's nothing to fix with grief, and if you're supporting somebody who is grieving, it's really about a willingness to just be there with them, to learn to be uncomfortable with silence and with big feelings."
Freedman's approach is about listening, validating, and providing a compassionate space for those in need of support. She often connects with people informally around town, and much of her work is provided free of charge.
Adding that grieving is also not age specific and dealing with kids when they are grieving is done in a different way. Freedman says, "So with kids, what's really important is to not use euphemisms when possible. So when you're explaining that somebody died, or let's say a pet has died, to answer their question truthfully and honestly, but with the fewest words and details as possible, just enough so they understand."
She shared a moment with her twins that really stuck with her when her nine year old twin daughters were having a funeral for their fish Fin Fin Jr. "They were having refreshments like you do after her funeral, and the grown ups weren't involved, and the kids just had a completely natural conversation around death and dying and funerals," says Freedman.
Liz emphasizes that educating children on this subject instead of sheltering them from it prepares them for grief they may experience in the future.
"To put it simply, what I want to do is normalize all of the feelings and conversations that go along with the grieving process and the death and dying process, and I want to do that for my community here in Ada specifically," Freedman said.
Grief support recipients, such as Dave Evans and Ashley Ingersoll, have found Freedman's approach helpful during difficult times.
"It's not about, oh, what's the diagnosis? Oh, there's a clinical name for that, and it's this, and here's what you need to do. It's bringing the human compassion element and really prioritizing that in the healing journey," Evans said. Elaborating on the fact that Liz's work is completely different from your typical therapy appointment.
Ingersoll added, "Through that conversation, she helped me kind of come to terms with the decision that I had to make, and was able to look at it from a loving standpoint," describing her as an intuitive figure.
Freedman's work extends beyond one-on-one support, which has came to her unexpectedly and free of charge. She has worked closely with the Ada historical society and in October, she is looking facilitate an Ada cemetery walking tour to open up more conversations on grief in the community.
To contact Liz, you can reach out to her at curiouscompass@outlook.com or (708) 712-0382.
WATCH VIDEO STORY
