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Grief Out Loud

Grief Out Loud

The Dougy Center 362 Episodes Sep 17, 2026

Grief Out Loud opens up the often avoided conversation about grief, offering a mix of personal stories, tips for supporting children and teens, and interviews with bereavement professionals. Hosted by Jana DeCristofaro, the podcast is produced by The Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families in Portland, Oregon. It promises a platitude and cliché-free exploration of grief.

Episodes

The Grief That Doesn't Get A Funeral - Juniper Wong On Ambiguous & Ancestral Loss
The Grief That Doesn't Get A Funeral - Juniper Wong On Ambiguous & Ancestral Loss Sep 17, 2026 41:35 Sometimes grief and how it shows up is obvious. Other times we might not recognize our experience as grief until something shifts our perspective. This was true for Juniper Wong, MSW, LICSW, a therapist who specializes in supporting those who are grieving through self-compassion, mindfulness, somatic experiencing, and Internal Family Systems (IFS). Juniper shares how caring for her father during t
Easing The Bureaucracy Of Loss - Frank Flores & FamiliaLista
Easing The Bureaucracy Of Loss - Frank Flores & FamiliaLista Sep 11, 2026 44:36 When Frank Flores's younger brother Marcelo died suddenly at 23, Frank found himself in an unfamiliar role: identifying his brother's body, navigating paperwork, and figuring out how to bring him home to the U.S. from Mexico. There was little room for grief. Instead, Frank went back to work - and then worked even more. Five years later, Frank's father died during COVID. Once again, grief was crowd
What If We Didn't Have To Do Death Alone? - Crystal Meneses on Culture, Care, & Community
What If We Didn't Have To Do Death Alone? - Crystal Meneses on Culture, Care, & Community Sep 2, 2026 49:18 What if we thought about death not as something that needs to be handed over to institutions, but as something that communities could face together?  In this episode we talk with Crystal Meneses, a death worker, spiritual counselor, hospice chaplain, artist, musician, and longtime community caregiver. Crystal's path into death work began with watching a recording of her grandfather's funeral in
Holding The Both/And - Steph Tupper On Grieving Her Children
Holding The Both/And - Steph Tupper On Grieving Her Children Aug 13, 2026 50:02 In 2022, Steph Tupper's two older children, Ali and Joe, were killed in a car crash. Ali was 16 and Joe was 14. Four years later, Steph is still learning how to live with the reality of losing her children while continuing to parent her youngest daughter.  In this episode, Steph talks openly about the devastating night she learned Ali and Joe had died, the ways she continues to feel connected t
The Grief We Carry, The Love We Keep - Shanda McManus, MD
The Grief We Carry, The Love We Keep - Shanda McManus, MD Aug 5, 2026 49:56 When physician and writer Shanda McManus was fourteen, her mother died after living with ovarian cancer. Three years later, her grandmother - the person who became home after that loss - was killed by a drunk driver. Then, while Shanda was in medical school, her younger brother Monir was murdered on Christmas Eve.  For years, surviving meant staying busy. Planning funerals. Managing paperwork.
How To Support Kids Through Grief – Jessica Correnti, MS, CCLS
How To Support Kids Through Grief – Jessica Correnti, MS, CCLS Jul 31, 2026 52:48 When it comes to children and grief, there's a lot we misunderstand. Adults might think they are either resilient and unaffected, too young to understand, or irreparably broken by the death of someone in their life. In reality though, their experiences of grief can be just as profound and complex as those of the adults around them.  In this episode of Grief Out Loud, Jana talks with Certified C
Learning From Grief - David Ferrugio On Memory, Meaning, And Moving Forward
Learning From Grief - David Ferrugio On Memory, Meaning, And Moving Forward Jul 7, 2026 50:41 For many, September 11th is a shared, historical tragedy. But for today's guest, it is a personal anniversary - the day his father died. David Ferrugio was twelve years old when his dad was killed in the World Trade Center. Twenty-five years later, his grief continues to unfold - from recently sitting with his father's forensic file at the 9/11 Memorial to hosting his own podcast, DEAD Talks, w
Brothers In Grief: Nora Gross On Cumulative Loss & Gun Violence
Brothers In Grief: Nora Gross On Cumulative Loss & Gun Violence Jun 26, 2026 59:40 What happens when grief isn't an exception, but a constant presence? In this episode, Jana talks with researcher and educator Nora Gross about her book, Brothers in Grief: The Hidden Toll of Gun Violence on Black Boys and Their Schools, which follows the two years she spent embedded in a Philadelphia boys' high school where students were grieving repeated losses from gun violence. Through intervi
It's All Hard - Sudden vs Anticipated Loss
It's All Hard - Sudden vs Anticipated Loss Jun 18, 2026 51:26 Is it harder when someone dies suddenly, or when you know their death is coming?  It's a question that comes up often in grief spaces, and there's no easy answer. Both are hard - just in different ways.  In this episode, Aimee Craig talks about grieving the deaths of both of her parents under very different circumstances. Aimee's dad died suddenly when she was 23, during a season of major lif
How to Talk With Children About Grief & Loss
How to Talk With Children About Grief & Loss Jun 12, 2026 01:09:43 How do you talk with children about death, dying, and grief - especially when the truth feels impossible to say? Most adults feel unprepared to tell a child that someone in their life has an advanced serious illness or has died. There's often a deep desire to protect kids from pain, avoid overwhelming them, or wanting to wait until there's a "better" time to talk. But children often already sense
What Happens When You Stop Outrunning Grief? Camila Crews & Sorry For Your Loss (Cards)
What Happens When You Stop Outrunning Grief? Camila Crews & Sorry For Your Loss (Cards) Jun 4, 2026 46:45 Have you ever found yourself trying to outrun grief? That's what Camila Crews did when she was 19 and her mother died. Twenty years later, following the heartbreaking disappearance and death of her father, Camila stopped running and started feeling. Unable to just keep pushing through, she had to face her grief and learn how to care for herself in the process.  Facing her grief inspired Camila
When "It's Not Your Fault" Falls Flat - Grief & Guilt
When "It's Not Your Fault" Falls Flat - Grief & Guilt May 29, 2026 51:13 In December of 2021, Sawyer was halfway through their final year of college in a world that was still reeling from the pandemic. Home for the holidays, Sawyer got the heartbreaking news that their older brother, Jason, had died by suicide - a before-and-after moment that continues to reverberate today. Sawyer shares their nuanced perspective on grief, delving into how mental health, incarceration,

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