WHEELING, IL — Share personal experiences and connect with people who understand what you encounter every day. Join your colleagues in funeral service for the first Peer Support Meeting in the US from Funeral Professional Peer Support (FPPS) on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 5pm PT.
In 2020, the mounting workload, the distance from peers, and the extraordinary demands of funeral service during a pandemic conspired to make a challenging job even more difficult. Funeral professionals serve their communities during some of most distressing moments those families will face—and these workers may carry the effects of their service well beyond the workplace. Now, because of COVID-19, the stress these professionals face every day has been made even more obvious, and their ability to take time away has become even harder.
To help funeral professionals reconnect with colleagues, FPPS is hosting the first-ever peer support meeting based in the US. Sponsored by the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), this meeting is open to anyone who serves their communities by providing care to the grieving. That includes everyone from the front office to the back room, chapel to gravesite, suited to coveralls—and anyone in-between. This peer support meeting provides a space to connect in a meaningful way.
In order to maintain your privacy, registration is not required. Simply mark your calendar for June 22, 2021 and visit goCANA.org/peersupport to grab your Zoom link and access the meeting. No CE is available because the focus is purely on connecting with other funeral service professionals. You do not need to be a CANA Member to participate.
Begun in Ottawa, Ontario in 2018, Funeral Professional Peer Support aims to change the way funeral service approaches mental health in our industry. FPPS wants to turn the search for professional support into a positive experience and help retain good people in the funeral industry. CANA is proud to host what is hopefully the first of many of these meetings, and you are invited to be a part of this movement as it spreads throughout the world!
Roy Ellis, a therapist with 30 years of experience helping people encountering death, grief, and trauma, will open the meeting with a brief discussion on burnout, resiliency, compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and other factors that can impact the emotional well-being of a funeral professional. After that, the floor is open to you and your peers to share, listen, and support one another.
Learn more about what you can expect from this meeting at goCANA.org/peersupport. Make note of your meeting link and join your peers on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 5pm PT.
About Funeral Professional Peer Support
Funeral Professional Peer Support Group is committed to providing support, healing, education and knowledge to funeral professionals. They promote wholeness and wellness by uniting funeral industry professionals through a Canada-wide network of regional organizations offering support, information and resources within their community.
About CANA
Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,300 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization.
