Introducing the Caring Connections Blog
We are excited to introduce the Caring Connections Blog, a resource created to provide support, encouragement, and practical guidance for those navigating grief and loss.
Grief is a deeply personal journey, and no two experiences are the same. Whether you are coping with the loss of a friend or family member, supporting someone who is grieving, or adjusting to life's many changes, our blog is here to offer compassionate insights and helpful information along the way.
Through articles written by our team, we'll explore topics such as understanding the grieving process, caring for yourself during difficult times, supporting family and friends, navigating significant life transitions, and finding hope after loss. Our goal is to provide meaningful resources that remind you that you don't have to face grief alone.
We invite you to visit the blog regularly for new articles, practical tips, and thoughtful reflections. We hope it becomes a trusted source of comfort, education, and support for our community.
A Message From the Director
Hello to our Caring Connection friends!
We want to welcome you to our new blog and newsletter. This is a space where we will share occasional updates on Caring Connections.
This season has been a season of newness for our Caring Connections. We have created opportunities for grief support, continued training professionals and students, and strengthened our commitment to making grief-informed care more accessible throughout our community. None of this would be possible without the dedication of our staff, facilitators, volunteers, donors, and community partners. We are grateful to all those who have supported Caring Connections and made it possible for us to reach individuals and families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Whether you have attended a support group, referred someone in need, volunteered your time, or supported our programs through donations, thank you for helping create a community that strives to meet grief with compassion and hope.
As you take the time to peruse this newsletter, we will continue to stay in touch. Thank you for being part of the Caring Connections family. Together, we are building a more compassionate, grief-literate community.
With gratitude,
Laura Bradbury, LCSW, PhD
Director, Caring Connections
Fall Grief Group Dates
Online Via Zoom
Loss to Suicide
Wednesdays, September 16 to November 4 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Loss of a Spouse or Partner
Tuesdays, September 22 to November 10 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Loss of a Family Member or Friend
Tuesdays, September 22 to November 10 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Loss to Substance Use
Tuesdays, September 22 to November 10 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Prolonged Grief Group Therapy
Wednesdays, September 16 to December 9 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
In-Person at the College of Nursing
Loss of a Spouse or Partner
Mondays, September 21 to November 9 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Loss of a Family Member or Friend
Mondays, September 21 to November 9 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Loss to Suicide
Mondays, September 21 to November 9 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Loss of a Child
Mondays, September 21 to November 9 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Registration is required for all groups. Call 801-585-9522 to register.
Book Review - Sparrow: A Book of Life and Death and Life by Jan Richardson
Sparrow: A Book of Life and Death and Life by Jan Richardson
Jan Richardson is a writer, poet and ordained minister in the United Methodist church. She has written many poems that are written in the style of "blessings" for those who are struggling. Even before her husband's sudden death in 2015, she had written many poems to comfort those who are grieving. The book Sparrow: A Book of Life and Death and Life began as private notes written to her husband, singer/songwriter Garrison Doles, as she held vigil at his hospital bedside prior to his death. Six months after his death, Jan returned to those notes and kept writing, and that would eventually become Sparrow. This book is less of a memoir, but more like an ongoing conversation between Jan and Garrison. As most grievers eventually learn, grief does not unfold in tidy stages, and this book underscores the non-linear, fragmented nature of the grief experience. Sparrows become Jan's metaphoric way of sensing her husband's presence, even in the depths of her grief.
The poems and notes in this book accurately depict what grief looks and feels like. There is no predictable rhythm, no orderly stages, and often themes that circle back around one another. This is often how people describe their own grief. This book illustrates that point and gives grievers permission to grieve in their own way, rather than trying to fit their grief into stages. Grief doesn't progress in stages. It circles. It doubles back. It doesn't resolve on schedule. And that isn't a problem to be fixed — it's simply how grief moves.
"We tumble and fall as the ground beneath us opens, shaken by violent rumblings... It is essential for us to welcome our grief, whatever form it takes."
— Jan Richardson, Sparrow
Welcome Our New Social Worker - Katie Young, LCSW
We are delighted to welcome Katie Young, LCSW, to the team at Caring Connections!
Katie is a Utah native, born and raised, and brings both compassion and expertise to her work. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Utah State University and her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Utah. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Katie has experience supporting caregivers of individuals living with dementia, as well as providing grief counseling to those navigating loss and life transitions.
Katie is passionate about helping individuals and families find support, resilience, and hope during challenging times. We are excited to have her as part of the Caring Connections team and look forward to the positive impact she will make in the lives of those we serve.
Meet Our Student - Katie Bates
I graduated from BYU's FNP program with my master's degree, and I have been working at Canyon View Medical as a FNP for almost 6 years. I work in family practice and in the urgent care. I am also in school at the U of U working on getting my PMHNP (Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner) certificate. I love family practice and psychiatric practice so I plan on working in both fields. Obviously, family practice includes psychiatric conditions, but I would also like to devote 1-2 days a week at a psychiatric clinic.
I have learned so much from Caring Connections related to running a grief group: that it's not just teaching a lecture on grief or having a therapy session; it's about creating connection between the participants. It's about allowing them to be heard and validating their experience. It reminds them they aren't alone. I have also learned a lot of therapy tools to communicate better and help participants open up and talk to each other.
Grief will universally affect everyone and yet it is so isolating. I have learned that we all experience grief differently and that is normal. I have learned there is no timeline to grief; there is not a specific order of steps to work through to be healed; and grief demands to be felt. These groups facilitate the process of integrating grief into who we are and allowing it to change us.
I have learned that grieving people are incredibly resilient. They just want to be seen and heard and not silenced. They want someone to sit with them in their grief... you don't have to fix it... you don't have to try and make them feel better... just don't run away. I have also watched them be incredibly vulnerable and reach out and support each other in beautiful ways. It's been an honor to be allowed to witness these painful and sacred moments of love and growth.
As grief is universal I will use my greater understanding of grief to offer greater empathy and better support to those who are suffering.
Meet Our Participant - Che W.
My healthy, energetic, athletic husband Chris was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October 2021, which changed our lives forever. He did not want to know an end date from the doctors and decided to push himself and try to “be THAT guy!” After 30 rounds of chemo, and more than a year of him doing more than most people do in a lifetime, (surfing, paddle boarding, skiing, traveling, visiting people) he succumbed to this horrible disease at age 60.
Since we had no children, and my work allows me to go anywhere, I decided to spend as much time as possible with my mom, my best friend. She was healthy and active until late May 2025, when she contracted pneumonia which caused her death in June, at age 94.
Of course I grieved, but it wasn’t until early this year, after finishing my Mom’s taxes and estate things that it hit me that both my husband and my mom, my anchors, were gone. Spending time with my mom pushed the grieving of Chris back, and suddenly I was on the floor in a ball, sobbing for long periods of time, and unable to shake the sadness even when I was doing something cheerful. After a few weeks of this I started poking around for a grief group but was unable to find anything.
After searching with no luck for a group that would have the right time frame and not be too far of a drive, I just stopped looking. Immediately after that, at a local gig (I am a musician), the manager, who is also a friend, introduced me to a gal who showed up for the last bit of my set. She had suddenly lost her husband last July. We started to talk about grief and how to handle it, I mentioned I was having a tough time, almost harder to manage than when Chris first died. She said the grief group she was in was really helping her through everything and that they had all kinds of groups. She texted me the info the next day. On that Monday I contacted Caring Connections and was participating in this prolonged grief the following Monday! (How life works is amazing. Right when I really needed to do something about this horrific grief, poof, there it was!)
While in the group, we had “homework” every week, which half tackled the grief and taught us how to manage it, and the other half was doing something for ourselves that had nothing to do with our deceased love one(s). This was so key for me to be able to do something to move forward with getting through the depths of darkness of this grief, but also to be able to get back to taking care of myself again. Caretakers can forget to do the everyday things to keep ourselves healthy and happy.
Every week had a somewhat different theme as we progressed through pushing ourselves to finally clean that drawer or go through our person's phone, all while allowing ourselves to blossom into strong people again. It is almost like I was a dormant plant and now my stems are growing again. And the buds that are forming on those stems will be able to blossom with brightness again.
I also have to mention how SCARY it was for the first Zoom session. But as we all began to speak more freely and go through our emotions, knowing we are SAFE in that room, we all bonded. We shared and saw each other’s setbacks, progress, fears, accomplishments, but also everyone’s intense love for their person/people. As a broken person, I feel like I am on my way to complete healing because of this group.
Because of this group, I now have the tools to deal with things that I didn’t know what to do with before. Pushing the grief down does not help one’s health, and knowing how to just let it out, sit with it, manage it, but not let it take over your whole life, has been the key to this. Every week I try to do something that I have been putting off (going through my husband’s bins - Kathie would laugh at this) but manage it with a time limit or a 2-bin policy. Cleaning out the last of my husband’s things but also tackling my mom’s things in another state has been easier after going through this group.
When I start to feel overwhelmed with sadness or fear of what my future will be like without my loved ones, I can now just sit with those feelings, let them out, and then go and do something for myself.
Things I would suggest to someone who is experiencing grief includes:
Allow yourself to grieve.
Don’t be embarrassed if you cry at the grocery store or at your kid’s softball game. Just let it out.
Do not isolate. (I am guilty of this!)
Give yourself a little bit of time every day, even if it is just 5 minutes of reading, sitting and watching the birds, meditating, because that is YOUR time. We need to remember how we need our own time to keep us healthy and happy.
Practice random acts of kindness. It helps to refocus on our life and living it!
Take your time with grief. From what I have heard, it lasts forever. But it can be manageable. You just need tools to learn how to manage it.
Caring Connections in Our Community
On May 16th, our team participated in the NAMI Walk at Veterans Memorial Park in South Jordan, joining others in raising awareness and showing support for mental health and suicide prevention.
We were also proud to have our Director, Laura Bradbury, represent Caring Connections at the Post-Traumatic Growth and Suicide Prevention Conference at the University of Utah. Laura spoke about the importance of grief literacy in suicide prevention, highlighting the need for greater understanding, compassion, and support for individuals navigating grief and loss.
We are grateful for every opportunity to connect with our community, share knowledge, and help create a culture where people experiencing grief and emotional pain feel seen, supported, and understood.
Congratulations University of Utah Graduates!
Caring Connections would like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to all of the recent University of Utah graduates! We are especially proud to celebrate our very own Kimberly Ponce Gonzales who graduated with her MSW on this wonderful accomplishment.
Kimberly, your hard work, dedication, and perseverance are truly inspiring. We are excited to celebrate this milestone with you and look forward to all that you will accomplish in the future. Congratulations, Kimberly! We are so proud of you!
Seeds of Remembrance: Honoring Those Who Have Died Together
Each spring, Caring Connections hosts our annual Seeds of Remembrance program, a special evening of reflection, hope, and remembrance. The event offers families and friends an opportunity to gather with others who have experienced loss, honor the lives of friends and family members, and find comfort in sharing memories together.
This year's program included a welcome from Dr. Laura Bradbury PhD, LCSW, Director of Caring Connections, and Dean Marla De Jong of the College of Nursing, along with beautiful musical performances by Paul Jacobsen. We were honored to welcome George Deussen as our featured speaker, whose message on grief, resilience, and why the world needs you in it offered encouragement and hope to all in attendance. We also presented the Kind Remembrance Award to the Huntsman Cancer Institute Patient and Family Support Team and the Carma Kent Heart of Caring Award to Brighton Allen. The evening concluded with our beloved Remembrance Roses ceremony, a touching tribute celebrating the lasting impact of those we hold close in our hearts.