Season Four - Episode Five - Jill Cowan

“It’s the hardest thing for them to walk through the door because nobody wants to be in that position. It’s their reality now. They are a bereaved by suicide person. So when they rip off that first Band-Aid and they come in, they’re just met with such warmth, caring and a level of understanding. It sort of gives them a place where they now belong. That community of belonging is so special.”

This is one of the many quotes from Jill Cowan that stuck with me after our conversation. She is compassionate, full of empathy and not afraid to talk about a subject that many, myself included, feel uneasy to discuss.

In 2015, Jill's 16 year-old son Max died by suicide. It was a devastating loss for Jill and her family and they looked for support to help them with their grieving. This proved to be very difficult. 

Jill experienced a gap in services many families in Saskatchewan have experienced when looking for support after a death by suicide. This experience sparked her to co-create, along with her friend and social worker, Anjeanette Corbeil, a program called Healing to the Max. 

Healing to the Max offers a 12-week intensive group session for adults where a facilitator works with participants to understand and work through their grief in a variety of ways including journaling and art therapy. There are also sessions available for teens ages 11-19.

Jill, who is also a group facilitator, opens up in our conversation about why she co-created the program and explains how families come together in the group sessions. She also touches on her grieving for Max and how that empathy allows her to truly connect with families in the program.

Jill also has big plans for growing Healing to the Max that I think you will find inspiring. 

I am very grateful to Jill for putting me at ease during our conversation. As you'll hear in the episode, Jill went to extraordinary lengths to make me feel comfortable and I think that really helped to set the tone for a wonderful conversation. 

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Thank you so much for supporting a local, independent podcast and I hope you enjoy this episode.

Cheers...Eric

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis