The Hidden Grief of Caregiving

Caregivers play a vital role in supporting loved ones through serious illness, end-of-life care, and other life transitions, yet their own emotional and practical needs are often overlooked. This Learning Institute session focuses on caregiver wellness and bereavement, exploring the unique challenges, grief, and stress that caregivers experience before, during, and after caregiving.

Participants will learn about the different types of grief caregivers may face, strategies to support their mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and practical tools to prevent burnout and promote resilience. The session emphasizes trauma-informed care, cultural humility, and spiritual responsiveness, helping participants recognize and honour diverse caregiving experiences while building supportive communities.

This session is designed for caregivers, healthcare professionals, hospice and palliative care providers, social workers, volunteers, and anyone who works with or supports caregivers.

Attendees can expect to leave with practical strategies, reflective tools, and actionable ideas to support and empower themselves and others through the grief and caregiving journey with awareness, compassion, and cultural humility.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

• Identify common types of grief experienced by both personal and professional caregivers, including anticipatory, ambiguous, and disenfranchised grief.
• Apply trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches when supporting caregivers through grief and bereavement.
• Recognize signs of caregiver burnout, stress, and emotional distress, and implement strategies to address them.
• Use practical tools and techniques to promote caregiver wellness, resilience, and self-care during and after caregiving.

The Hidden Grief of Caregiving
Wednesday, September 9, 12:30pm – 4:00pm (Eastern).

Jennifer McCrae, CT

Jennifer McCrae is a Certified Thanatologist who provides holistic, heart centered grief, bereavement and end-of-life support for individuals, families, and communities. She works with a wide range of loss experiences, including death, pregnancy and infant loss, relationship transitions, chronic illness, and other life changes that deeply affect emotional and spiritual well-being.

Blending over a decade of experience in end-of-life care, trauma-informed practice, and integrative healing, Jennifer combines evidence-based approaches with somatic and mindfulness-based practices to support the whole person. Her work helps individuals and caregivers navigate grief with greater compassion, resilience, and connection.

She is especially passionate about supporting caregivers and families through end-of-life transitions, as well as advancing grief literacy and community-based approaches to care