Services
One-on-one and group grief counselling for the bereaved
Compassionate support for the dying
Art and Drama processes
Secular funerals and memorials

Grief Beyond Belief
My worldview is rooted in ethical Secular Humanism and Atheism. With the deepest respect, I support bereaved or dying people, whatever their worldview. I may offer a particular understanding to a person who shares similar beliefs, offering ideas and metaphors that resonate with their perspective. I serve people excluded from religious institutions either due to their worldview or sexual orientation. I am cisgender heterosexual, but consider myself an LGBTIQA+ ally and an activist. I conduct secular funerals, memorials, naming ceremonies, and marriages.

The Wounded Healer
My journey of loss and grief is my deepest resource. Like all of us, I have lost close friends and family members. I draw on the experiences of losing both the old and the very young: I have buried my seven-month-old son and my 70-year-old father. And most transforming was the death of my husband and partner for almost 40 years who died of metastatic cancer in my arms during the Covid pandemic. Knowing the pain of great loss has, in the words of Frank Ostaseski, “cracked me wide open”, I believe it has opened me to be compassionate in the presence of the pain of others.

Background
Before re-training and studying again to embark on this journey, my main world of work was the theatre. I work freelance as a director, performer, teacher, workshop facilitator, and arts administrator. I am a passionate theatre-maker with an eclectic style that includes everything from Shakespeare to puppetry and circus skills; contemporary dance and spoken word.

Phone: 072 418 4524

Email:              jaqueline@heartsandeyes.co.za

website:           www.hearts-eyes.co.za