Pathways to Peace

Honouring Journeys, Healing Hearts

Pathways to Peace offers compassionate, nonjudgemental, and culturally sensitive care for individuals facing end-of-life or grief, with trauma as an underlying factor. Our program emphasizes grief support and legacy work, helping clients find peace and meaning. Even in one's final or darkest moments, immense healing and growth can take root and flourish, offering a sense of peace and transformation.

“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.”

- Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score (2014)

Photo by RDNE Stock Project from Pexels

About 'Pathways to Peace'

Trauma affects countless individuals who have experienced emotionally distressing or life-threatening events, leading to lasting impacts on their mental, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Nearly 70% of people worldwide will encounter a potentially traumatic event during their lifetime.

Pathways to Peace programs are grounded in the principles of trauma-informed care, a strengths-based approach that recognizes and responds to the effects of trauma. This framework empowers survivors by fostering a sense of safety, hope, and control, while addressing trauma symptoms with sensitivity.

The Pathways to Peace team’s central focus is on grief support and legacy work, two of the four key domains of care provided by HHA’s doulas. These domains also include deathcare planning and vigil support. We assist clients who are grieving or nearing the end of life in finding meaning and peace, regardless of past trauma. By offering emotional support and helping to create lasting legacies, we ensure that each individual's journey is honoured and thoughtfully reflected upon.

Photo by SolStock

Drawing on our team’s expertise, we aim to provide compassionate, nonjudgmental, and dignified care to individuals impacted by trauma who are nearing the end of life or grieving. We believe this standard of care should be accessible for anyone, of any age, at any time, and under any roof.

Photo by Thirdman from Pexels

“Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.”

- Vicki Harrison

Photo by cottonbro studio from Pexels

How 'Pathways to Peace' Helps

Community Outreach, Education, & Collaboration

By promoting empathy, reducing stigma, and fostering open conversations about trauma, grief, and loss, our outreach efforts raise awareness of the unique challenges faced by trauma-impacted individuals and their families. We facilitate dialogue through Death Cafes and educational workshops, offering collaborative opportunities and resources to build a more understanding and compassionate community for those navigating grief and trauma at the end of life.

Eternal Echoes: Timeless Tales, Healing Hearts

As part of our legacy work, this project supports individuals impacted by trauma and nearing the end of life in creating memory books that represent their journey. These books allow them to share inspirational words with loved ones, offer guidance for future milestones, and leave a legacy as they wish to be remembered. Grieving individuals can also create memory books to commemorate their loved ones and document their stories, providing a tangible place to hold their grief.

Grief Gardens: Grief Support Groups

Initially designed as a hands-on project to support men, our Pathways to Peace 'Grief Gardens' can be adapted to meet various needs, including grief from suicide or drug-related deaths. The primary objectives of this project are to nurture safe and nonjudgmental spaces for connection, normalize grief, reduce stigma, foster hope, and address community food insecurity. Our goal is to empower individuals to navigate grief, build community, and foster resilience.

Alternative Healing

Our team is dedicated to promoting alternative healing methods that are easy to understand and accessible to everyone. Techniques like guided visualization, EFT tapping, aromatherapy, and bibliotherapy offer benefits such as stress reduction, pain relief, improved focus, better sleep, and emotional well-being. We believe in a holistic approach that addresses the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of individuals during challenging times. By integrating these methods into our care practices, we aim to provide comprehensive support that honours the whole person - mind, body, and spirit.

'Pathways to Peace' Program Team

Carolyn Dillon

Daniel Gilbeau

Jason Osterhold

Get Involved

Work with Us

Are you an HHA-trained Death Doula or a Death Doula Candidate? The Pathways to Peace program offers a variety of opportunities for you to get involved as a facilitator or support worker. In this role, you might assist individuals with underlying trauma as they navigate grief or the end of life, providing a sense of safety and empowerment to some of our most vulnerable community members.

Walk with Us

Join or support Stormin' Norman's Crew as we walk in this year’s Moonlit Memory Walk to raise funds for the Pathways to Peace program.

By joining our team or making a donation, you'll help ensure vital funding for projects that offer safety, support, and compassionate care to individuals and their loved ones as they navigate the challenges of trauma, grief, and loss.

Support Us

Your contribution, no matter the size, makes a profound impact on individuals facing trauma, grief, and loss, and on our ability to help them. Trauma-informed care is essential in providing dignity, safety, and compassion to people who are often marginalized and face significant barriers to quality care. By donating, you help break down these barriers, reduce the stigma and bias surrounding trauma, and ensure that some of our most vulnerable community members and their loved ones receive the high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care they deserve.

Please donate today.

Is your organization committed to promoting recovery, harm reduction, or healing from trauma? Partner with our Pathways to Peace team to access specialized staff training, workshops, and the integration of Death Doulas into your community support services. Together, we can ensure that individuals impacted by trauma receive compassionate, trauma-informed care as they approach the end of life.

Partner With Us