Virtual Funeral Professionals Peer Support Meeting in September
WHEELING, IL— Have you ever left the job after a long, busy day, only to have a series of nagging questions follow you home? Did I ask the receptionist to confirm the 2 PM pick-up? Did I tell the embalmer to call that specific hairstylist the family requested? These intrusive thoughts aren’t a sign of forgetfulness or perfectionism – they’re actually a sign of stress.
This month’s virtual Funeral Professionals Peer Support Meeting focuses on the stress we face in this challenging and rewarding profession. Join the conversation Tuesday, September 16, 2025 at 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 5pm PT, with Dwight Thompson, a seasoned social worker, psychotherapist, and former funeral director with more than 20 years of experience in mental health and grief care.
Stress impacts your brain’s ability to file and refine all the important details from your busy day in real time. When you finally get the chance to decompress after work, your brain attempts to sort the information it couldn’t properly process earlier. This can lead to mistakes: a mental reminder to have the conversation with the receptionist accidentally transforms thought into action—as if you’ve already had the conversation.
According to Dwight, many funeral directors are experiencing the painful consequences of minor, stress-induced errors. “I have seen colleagues reprimanded for mistakes that could have been prevented if we recognized the overwhelming pressure and workload they carry. In these situations, the issue of stress is completely ignored, and the employee is blamed for something the brain simply can’t handle under such conditions,” explains Dwight. “Funeral professionals need support with relevant checks and balances to ensure that they can cope with the intense realities of stress and its impact on their mental and emotional well-being.”
Find your support at a funeral professionals peer support meeting to discuss stress on the job, what it can do our mental checklist, and share your experience with missteps and success with solutions. Dwight facilitates the conversation, drawing on his background as a licensed funeral director and embalmer as well as his current role as registered social worker and marriage and family therapist in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
Join the funeral professional peer support meeting on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 at 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 5pm PT via Zoom link at cremationassociation.org/peersupport. No registration is required, simply follow the link to join.
About Funeral Professionals Peer Support
Funeral Professionals Peer Support Group is committed to providing support, healing, education and knowledge to funeral professionals. They promote wholeness and wellness by uniting funeral sector 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 3,700 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization.
