kate@kateshand.co.za

Certified creative grief support practitioner

Providing a safe creative space for bereaved parents and others

I offer in person and online creative grief sessions to support parents after the death of a child. I also provide support to other people who have experienced loss. These sessions provide practical support using creative conversations and art making to bring comfort, hope and meaning after premature bereavement. I have a special interest in suicide.

My Story

My only son chose to end his life at the age of 14 in 2011. Our lives shattered on that day, it does when the unimaginable happens, and a long painful journey ensued. I read everything I could about grief and suicide. I showed up at every event that I heard about. I did many courses, workshops and a lot of therapy. Eventually I found my way to art therapy and in this space a new way of expressing myself emerged.

My creative grief journey has led me from darkness, loss and utter despair to gratitude and for brief moments even joy. I have learned that I can feel my grief, lean into, and it won’t annihilate me. One day I might even find that grief has been the source of my healing. Grief does not exclude happiness and I am learning to live with this paradox. I know I can listen to my heart and trust what it tells me. Creative grieving isn’t about “seeking closure, moving on or getting over it”. It is about learning how to stay connected with our dead children and how to develop a new kind of relationship with them.
“Your loss is not a test, a lesson, something to handle, a gift, or a blessing. Loss is simply what happens to you in life. Meaning is what you make happen”
- David Kessler

Bio

I am a certified creative grief support practitioner and community arts counsellor.

I am part of the first cohort of students in South Africa to study art therapy at the University of Johannesburg. I intend to practice as an art therapist once I have completed my Master's degree in art therapy.

I have facilitated many arts-based workshops over the years. I am passionate about working with clay and its ability to heal.

I wrote a book called BOY about the suicide of my son.

  • Certified Creative Grief Practitioner - Creative Grief Studio
  • BA HONS Art Therapy - University of Johannesburg
  • Masters in Heritage - University of the Witwatersrand
  • Advanced Diploma Visual Art - Unisa
  • Community Art Counsellor - Lefika la Phodiso
  • Working with Groups (year one) - Ububele

Support

I am a South African working from the suburb of Melville in Johannesburg. I provide a safe creative space for bereaved parents and I work in the following ways:
  • Creative grief support sessions – These can take place in person or online.
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  • Clay sessions – I have a love for clay and its healing benefits, and offer individual healing clay sessions.
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  • Occasional workshops - I offer workshops in doll making and clay experiences.

Creative Grief

Even seemingly small creative acts can have as much impact as bigger acts of art making. In the words of Kurt Vonnegut "To practice any art no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow". When we are creative, we get to engage with challenging questions in a way that is non-threatening and doesn’t require the effort of a verbal answer - Who have we become since the death of our child? Where do we put our grief? How do we contain our grief? How do we hide our grief? How do we embrace life again while remembering and staying connected to our child?

There are many ways to work creatively with grief that don’t require special skills or artistic talent. Collage is but one example of the many non-threatening ways to work creatively. Our loss has torn us apart. We are in pieces. Slowly we will begin to put ourselves back together – we will never be who we were but we will become someone new. With collage we can explore the questions ‘Who am I now?’ or ‘Who am I becoming?’ after the devastating loss of our child. We can tear up pieces of paper, add photographs, make marks with paints, stick down objects, and from the bits and pieces of discarded materials create a new image of ourselves. 

Grief doesn’t diminish or shrink with time – but the possibility does exist that the world around our grief can expand. Our grief continues to flow through our lives opening up, connecting, creating. Our loss has been forced upon us – we didn’t have a choice in it. But now that it has happened, we have a choice, what will do it with it?

Contact

For more information or to book a session please email me using the contact form.
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