Doing Grief, a new 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Sun City, is on a mission to empower grievers to learn, connect and heal grief-related suffering in ways that are most effective. The nonprofit welcomes those who suffer loss, death or any life change that causes grief: broken relationships, aging, a loss of meaning or hope, illness, injury and more.

Doing Grief and its Director of Operations Rev. Shea Darian founded Doing Grief Community Healing Project in February, 2023, at the Interfaith Chapel for Healing–Church of the Palms in Sun City. Church of the Palms served as fiscal sponsor for the Healing Project until Doing Grief received its own tax-exempt status in June of this year. The church also donated an old chapel space being used for storage as home base for Doing Grief programs.

Doing Grief volunteers transformed the chapel into the Interfaith Chapel for Healing, its walls lined with interfaith panels embroidered by church member Judy Jondahl. The blue fabric panels include Indigenous, Humanist, Islamic, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, Pagan and Hindu symbols. Other symbols of faith, spirituality and unity create a peaceful environment in the chapel for prayer, meditation and small group gatherings.

“We want people to know that this is not a religious endeavor,” explained Darian. “Grief touches all of us. It’s our human common denominator. So, our programs are for people of all faiths and philosophies, or none.”

“However you find meaning in your life, you’re welcome to come and heal with us,” Darian continued.

Doing Grief Community Healing Project offers different approaches to healing grief: grief education that dispels long-standing myths and misunderstandings about grief, hands-on creative arts programs and one-on-one and small group grief support that goes beyond conventional talking cures. At Doing Grief, grievers, care providers and caregivers learn to heal their own grief-related suffering as they also learn to support others.

Darian has been a grief educator since 2010. She became a grief theorist in 2014 when her theoretical Model of Adaptive Grieving Dynamics was published in the academic journal “Illness, Crisis and Loss” (May, 2014). The model includes four types of grieving responses that are universal for all grievers but experienced and expressed uniquely by each one. In 2022, Darian’s book “Doing Grief in Real Life: A Soulful Guide to Navigate Loss, Death and Change” was published to unpack the Model of Adaptive Grieving for grievers and their care providers.

“My model brings together some of the best grief research out there that’s been part of the conversation among academics for decades,” Darian said, “but this information hadn’t been presented to the general public in a simple, relational way that everyday grievers like you and me could find useful in our healing process. I aimed to change that.”

The Sun City location of Doing Grief Community Healing Project serves the Northwest Valley. Most participants come from the Sun Cities, Surprise, Peoria and Glendale. Special programs recommence in September. Check out program offerings and RSVP on the “Community Healing Project” page at DoingGrief.org.

Plans are in process to expand onsite locations to Tempe and central Phoenix. Faith and mindfulness communities, healthcare organizations, schools and colleges who are interested in promoting mental wellness through Doing Grief education and support programs can contact Darian, at Connect@DoingGrief.org or by 602-315-8480. To learn more, visit DoingGrief.org.