Navigating Grief & Death in the Workplace
Care for the Caregiver.
Conversations Without Pressure.
Meaning That Sustains.
Why this work matters
Organizations that work close to illness, loss, and death carry an invisible emotional load. Over time, that load becomes burnout—not because people are weak, but because they care.
This offering creates space to acknowledge grief without needing to fix it, reframe it, or turn it into motivation. We slow things down long enough for people to breathe, remember why they chose this work, and reconnect to what gives it meaning.
What this support offers
Conversations without pressure to uplift
No silver linings. No forced positivity. Just honest, grounded dialogue that restores nervous-system safety and trust.
Support for navigating death and loss
Individual and collective spaces to process patient loss, moral distress, cumulative grief, and the quiet questions that often go unspoken.
Care for the caregiver
Because sustained care for others requires care for the self—especially in roles where that truth is rarely modeled.
A return to the ‘why’
Not through inspiration, but through integration. This work helps teams remember the purpose that brought them here—and carry it forward without burning out.
Who this is for
Healthcare and deathcare professionals
Clinical teams and leadership
Organizations navigating high exposure to loss, trauma, or end-of-life care
Teams experiencing burnout, compassion fatigue, or moral injury
Benefits and outcomes
This work supports individuals and teams to:
Reduce burnout and emotional overload by creating space for grief to be acknowledged rather than carried in silence
Restore nervous-system regulation so people can think clearly, relate well, and make grounded decisions
Process cumulative loss and moral distress before it hardens into disengagement or compassion fatigue
Strengthen team cohesion and psychological safety through honest, facilitated conversation
Reconnect to meaning and purpose without relying on forced resilience or toxic positivity
Sustain high-quality care by caring for the people who provide it
The result is not emotional catharsis for its own sake, but steadiness, clarity, and renewed capacity to continue work that truly matters.
Current Offer:
If your organization is ready for support that honors the reality of grief—without pathologizing it or rushing it—I’d love to connect.
Remembering the Why in Deathcare
Staff in ICU, hospice, palliative care, and long‑term care are repeatedly exposed to death, grief, and distressed families. Over time, that unprocessed emotional load shows up as burnout, moral distress, disengagement, and time off work.
Remembering the Why in Deathcare is a three‑part, low‑pressure series designed to support the humans behind the roles.
A 3-Part Contemplative Series for Staff working at the Edge of Life
Gently acknowledge what they carry
Explore their own relationship with death, grief, and meaning
Reconnect with their gifts, purpose, and limits
Learn simple practices to sustain themselves in this work
Rather than another training or mandatory debrief, these sessions offer staff a protected space to:
Three 60–75 minute sessions (virtual or in‑person)
Self‑contained sessions—staff can attend one or all
No requirement for personal disclosure; reflection and silence are welcome
Suitable for nurses, PSWs, social workers, spiritual care, allied health, and physicians
Format:
Session Themes:
Meeting Death – How this work shapes us
Grief as a Portal – Meaning, gifts, and limits
Sustaining the Work – Working with death without losing yourself
Benefits to your Organization:
Visible investment in staff wellbeing and psychological safety
Reduced emotional burden and quiet burnout
Stronger connection to purpose, which supports retention and quality of care
We can begin with a small pilot for one unit or team and adapt the series to your context.
This organizational support offering helps healthcare and deathcare teams address the emotional impact of grief and loss in a way that reduces burnout, strengthens retention, and sustains high-quality care. By creating structured, facilitated spaces for honest conversation—without pressure to uplift or perform resilience—teams regain steadiness, clarity, and connection to meaning. The result is a more regulated, engaged workforce capable of continuing deeply human work over the long term.
Organizational KPI’s this work supports
While this work is human-centered, it produces measurable organizational benefits, including:
Reduced burnout and emotional exhaustion (lower scores on burnout and compassion fatigue assessments)
Improved staff retention and reduced turnover, particularly in high-exposure roles
Decreased absenteeism and sick leave related to stress and emotional overload
Higher employee engagement and morale in post-engagement surveys
Improved psychological safety and team trust, supporting collaboration and communication
Sustained quality of care and service delivery, even in high-loss environments
Stronger leadership resilience, reducing downstream strain on teams
These outcomes support organizational stability while honoring the emotional reality of caregiving work.
Meet Your Guide
Andrea Skitch, MSW RSW is a psychotherapist, death and grief guide, and thought leader devoted to transforming how individuals and organizations relate to life, meaning, and mortality. With over 15 years of clinical experience, Andrea blends evidence-based therapy—including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and IADC (Induced After-Death Communication)—with contemplative wisdom, embodiment practices, and spiritual inquiry to help people soften their pain, honor what’s true, and live with clarity, creativity, and purpose.
Her work supports a paradigm shift: grief and death are not problems to be solved but sacred transitions that reveal what matters most in life. Andrea holds space for deep, conscious conversations about mortality that release worry, guilt, shame, and emotional freeze states while awakening presence, innovation, and authentic leadership—inside organizations and in personal life alike.
Andrea is also a certified kundalini yoga and meditation teacher and a trained Death Doula, hosting Death Cafés and experiential gatherings that invite open dialogue about life’s deepest questions. Her multifaceted practice reflects a commitment to helping people reconnect with their humanity and service with greater courage and heart.
Why this is different from EAP’s
Depth over quick check-ins
EAPs are designed for immediate, short-term support (1–3 sessions).
Our approach creates sustained, intentional space for processing grief and cumulative loss, helping teams integrate experiences rather than just cope.
Collective and systemic focus
EAPs often focus on individual sessions.
We work with teams and leadership to address shared grief, moral distress, and emotional load, strengthening team cohesion and psychological safety.
No pressure to perform or “move on”
Traditional programs sometimes encourage positivity or problem-solving too quickly.
We offer conversations without pressure, honoring grief as a legitimate human experience while guiding toward relief, growth, and resilience.
Reconnects staff to purpose and meaning
EAPs may provide symptom relief.
Our work helps staff remember why they chose this work, supporting long-term engagement, clarity, and sustainable caregiving.
Evidence-informed and trauma-sensitive
We use trauma-informed, nervous-system-based frameworks, ensuring support is safe, effective, and applicable to high-stress, death-adjacent environments.
Bottom line:
EAPs provide access. We provide integration, restoration, and expansion—so staff not only survive the emotional demands of caregiving but emerge steadier, more capable, and reconnected to purpose.
“Andrea brings her warm and generous spirit to every interaction. She is a highly skilled and relational therapist and teacher who has the ability to create a uniquely nurturing environment for healing to occur. I highly recommend her for anyone looking for personal transformation!”
Christie Pearl
“Andrea has the rare ability to create a learning environment of curiosity and trust, which allows learners to deepen into foundational transformation. Her approach is creative, integrative, and soulful, inspiring others to be innovative and have permission to be brave. We are so fortunate to have leaders like Andrea in the spiritual and clinical space!”
Kambria Evans @ZeroDisturbance
