Worst Club Ever (A Child Loss Podcast)

Having Another Child After Loss with Maya Thompson

What is it like to parent another child after losing a child? To welcome a new baby into a grieving heart? In the final weeks of Allie's pregnancy, she explores all of the complicated feelings about bringing a new life into the world less than two years after the death of her 4-year-old son. In this beautiful and open-hearted conversation, she talks to bereaved mom, writer and advocate Maya Thompson about parenting her now 12-year-old daughter after the death of her son Ronan.  Two mothers, bonded by grief, holding space for the fear, sadness, excitement and gratitude that come with this huge life transition.  Find Maya on Instagram @mamamaya [https://www.instagram.com/mamamaya/?hl=en], read her blog Rockstar Ronan here [https://rockstarronan.com/blog/], listen to "Ronan [https://music.apple.com/us/album/ronan-taylors-version/1590368448?i=1590368753]" on Taylor Swift's album Red (Taylor's Version) and donate to The Ronan Thompson Foundation [https://ronanfoundation.org/] to help fund research for childhood cancer treatments. ___ *This is the last episode of Season 1 of Worst Club Ever before Allie takes a maternity leave - but don't worry, another season of new episodes will be coming soon! Huge thank you to everyone who has been listening to the show!* ________ Get in touch! Email: contact@worstclubeverpodcast.com Instagram: @worstclubeverpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/worstclubeverpodcast/] Website: www.worstclubeverpodcast.com [https://www.worstclubeverpodcast.com/]

What It's Like to Be My Therapist, with Susan Reedy

Do you ever wish you could ask your therapist what it's like to sit across the couch from you? This week on Worst Club Ever, Allie has this very conversation with her own therapist, Susan Reedy, one of the most essential members of her support system.  For the past two years, Susan has walked alongside Allie through the unimaginable — beginning in the middle of Theo’s diagnosis and continuing through his death and everything that’s followed. She’s witnessed — and continues to every week — Allie's despair, rage, hope, and the never-ending work of grief. In this personal and heartfelt conversation, they talk candidly about what their therapy has looked like —  and what it’s like for Susan, a mother herself, to support a grieving parent through profound loss. ___ Susan Reedy is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and certified TRM (Trauma Resiliency Model) practitioner. Learn more about her work at get in touch via her website at SusanReedyMFT.com [https://susanreedymft.com/] ________ Get in touch! Email: contact@worstclubeverpodcast.com Instagram: @worstclubeverpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/worstclubeverpodcast/] Website: www.worstclubeverpodcast.com [https://www.worstclubeverpodcast.com/]

Finding a Grief Community with Larry Carlat

What does it mean to build a grief community? When faced with as devastating and uncommon a loss as the death of one's child, many bereaved parents find themselves seeking others who have walked a similar path, and find so much comfort in joining support groups and community events. In today’s episode, Allie attends a Walk & Remember 5K through Our House Grief Support Center, then talks to author, group leader and bereaved dad Larry Carlat, who lost his son Rob to suicide. He shares the story of his loss, his experience as both a group participant and a leader, and the importance of finding your people. Larry’s book, A Space in the Heart: A Survival Guide for Grieving Parents [https://www.amazon.com/Space-Heart-Survival-Grieving-Parents/dp/1538186594?tag=googhydr-20&source=dsa&hvcampaign=books&gad_campaignid=21865718810&gbraid=0AAAAA-byW6DVRTkFIq4qOZtXUOg5V4gEn&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt8zABhDKARIsAHXuD7aQrvcHw3__yme5foRSZEjiThP8PyJJGZ83yih0SHo8DOjjaFomBngaAji4EALw_wcB], is available wherever books are sold. To get in touch and learn more about his work as a grief coach, visit GriefForGuys.com [https://www.griefforguys.com/] Information about Our House Grief Support Center, including their groups and events, can be found at OurHouse-grief.org [https://www.ourhouse-grief.org/] And lastly, check out Camp Erin for children in grief - camp programs are free and available in cities all over the US. To locate a camp near you, visit elunanetwork.org/eluna-camps/camp-erin [https://elunanetwork.org/eluna-camps/camp-erin/] ________ Get in touch! Email: contact@worstclubeverpodcast.com Instagram: @worstclubeverpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/worstclubeverpodcast/] Website: www.worstclubeverpodcast.com [https://www.worstclubeverpodcast.com/]

Supporting a Dying Child with Kelsey Mora

How do you prepare anyone for death, let alone a child? YOUR child? It's something no parent should ever have to face, and yet, many of us have had to.  And when this impossible scenario arises, how on earth do you handle it? Do you tell your child exactly what's happening to them? What if they're scared? Confused? How do you walk with them down this path? In this episode, Allie talks to Kelsey Mora, a dual-certified Child Life Specialist and Licensed Therapist, about how to support a child who is dying. She shares what it's like working in a pediatric ICU, how to have hard conversations with kids in honest language, the importance of caring for oneself, and much more. To learn more about Kelsey and her work, follow her on IG @childlifetherapist [https://www.instagram.com/childlifetherapist/?hl=en], visit her website childlifetherapist.com [https://www.childlifetherapist.com/], and check out her incredible workbooks at themethodworkbooks.com [https://www.themethodworkbooks.com/]. ________ Get in touch! Email: contact@worstclubeverpodcast.com Instagram: @worstclubeverpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/worstclubeverpodcast/] Website: www.worstclubeverpodcast.com [https://www.worstclubeverpodcast.com/]

Prolonged Grief with Nancy Turret

In this episode, we explore what it means to be stuck. Specifically, stuck in the debilitating, all-consuming acute phase of grief.  Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Nancy Turret joins Allie for a conversation about Prolonged Grief, a term that recently caused quite a stir in the psychology world. They talk about the meaning of this diagnosis, and what it means when a person gets stuck in acute grief and is unable to integrate their grief into their lives.  Nancy, who helped develop an astonishingly effective therapy for prolonged grief, shares hope for those who are suffering, what the treatment entails, and where to find it.  To learn more about prolonged grief and find help, visit prolongedgrief.columbia.edu [https://prolongedgrief.columbia.edu/] To follow up with Nancy, visit www.nancyturret.com [https://www.nancyturret.com/] ________ Get in touch! Email: contact@worstclubeverpodcast.com Instagram: @worstclubeverpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/worstclubeverpodcast/] Website: www.worstclubeverpodcast.com [https://www.worstclubeverpodcast.com/]