Grief, Loss, and Healing: Building Systems That Hold Us
Event Description
Grief is universal, yet the systems around us are rarely designed to support it. Whether through personal loss, such as miscarriage, stillbirth, or the death of a loved one, or collective experiences of crisis, climate, and conflict, grief shapes how individuals and communities live, relate, and heal.
This session explores how we can move beyond treating grief as a private burden and instead build relational, community-based systems of support that recognize its central role in healing and wellbeing. What would it look like to design systems that acknowledge grief not only as loss, but as a process that reshapes identity, connection, and meaning?
We will examine practical approaches, including community-led psychosocial support, the role of lay counselors, and emerging models such as nature-based healing spaces that integrate mental health support with environmental stewardship. Particular attention will be given to often-overlooked experiences of grief, including child loss, and the need for more compassionate, accessible support structures.
Bringing together practitioners, caregivers, and community leaders, this conversation will focus on how to embed care, connection, and healing into the systems we build, so that grief is not something people navigate alone.
Speakers
Diane Dodge is Executive Director of Tiba Foundation, advancing women’s health, economic empowerment, and community transformation through innovative programs.
Niyati Shah is a somatic practitioner and social scientist who has been been committed and working to advance gender equality and systems change for over two decades.
Discussion Questions
How can systems better recognize and support grief as a shared, relational experience?
What community-based models are most effective in supporting people through loss?
How can nature-based and low-resource approaches expand access to mental health support?
What structural changes are needed to ensure grief and healing are integrated into health and social systems?
Location & access
Accessibility matters deeply to us, and we do our best to choose spaces that reflect that. That said, some of our Oxford venues are in historic buildings without lifts. This room is unfortunately not accessible for wheelchair users, those with mobility challenges, or anyone needing step-free access.