Friends of California Grief Center,

We owe much to the women who have shaped the health and well-being of families and children, often without recognition. To Dr. Virginia Apgar, who revolutionized newborn care with the Apgar Score, ensuring infants received critical medical attention at birth. To Dr. Helen Brooke Taussig, whose groundbreaking work in pediatric cardiology saved countless babies with congenital heart defects. To Marian Wright Edelman, who championed children’s rights and fought for policies that protect their health, education, and well-being.

May their dedication remind us that care is not just an instinct but a science, a skill, and a form of advocacy. That progress in health and child development is made not by chance, but by those who refuse to look away, who see each life as worthy of dignity and protection.

Catharsis Theater: Love, Loss, and “Unfinished Business” (Los Angeles)

Join us this Sunday, March 2nd, from 1:00 to 4:30 PM in Los Angeles for a gathering unlike any other—a therapeutic theater event for those who have lost something dear. Maybe it’s a person you loved, a home that held you, a job that shaped you, a sense of safety that once felt unshakable. Maybe it’s the quiet ache of hope slipping through your fingers. Whatever it is, if loss has left its mark on you, you are welcome here.

Catharsis Theater exists because grief is not just a thought we wrestle with—it’s something we carry in our bones, something that lingers in the breath and the body, longing to be seen, heard, and moved. Long before therapy had a name, humans gathered in the flickering firelight to tell stories, to give their suffering form, to let joy and sorrow intertwine in the alchemy of shared experience. We are wired for connection, and healing does not happen in isolation. It happens when our pain is met with presence, when our stories are witnessed, when the weight of loss is, for a moment, lifted by many hands.

This is what we offer: a space both ancient and immediate, where what troubles you is given breath, where grief is shaped into something you can hold, turn over, and—if only for a time—set down. A place to remember that you do not carry this alone.

🔗 Register Here

Mindfulness & Navigating Political Chaos with Patrick Park (Recording Now Available)

This past Saturday, we gathered for a special virtual session of HOPE Group (Healing Ourselves through the Present Experience) with Senior Dharma Teacher Patrick Park. Together, we explored ways to stay grounded amid uncertainty, finding refuge in meditation, reflection, and shared wisdom.

For those who couldn’t join us live—or those who wish to revisit the experience—the Zoom recording is now available. If you're looking for a moment of stillness, clarity, or connection, we invite you to watch and take what you need.

🔗 Zoom Recording Link

🔗Password: B3P&qi63

Thank you to all who participated, and we look forward to seeing you at the next gathering on Saturday, March 29th (see below for registration information). Until then, may you find steadiness in each step and kindness in the unknown.

Upcoming Opportunities for Connection

💛 Mindfulness-Based Grief Relief (MBGR) Practice Group

Healing Ourselves through the Present Moment (HOPE)

📅 Next Virtual Session: Saturday, March 29 | 10:00 AM (PT) | 1.5 hours (Zoom)

🔗 Register Here

🌿 Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) – 8-Week In-Person Series

📅 Dates: Tuesdays, April 1, 8, 15, 29, May 6, 13, 20, & 27, 2025
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM PT
📍 Location: Santa Monica Meditation Center – 1430 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404
🎓 Teachers: Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD & James Rosser, LCSW
💰 Cost: Sliding scale ($600 / $685 with CE credits) | Financial aid available
🚗 Ride Sharing: Sign-Up Available

🧘‍♂️ Transform Your Inner Dialogue with Self-Compassion
Step into a practice that fosters emotional resilience, self-kindness, and mindfulness in a supportive community. This eight-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program, developed by Kristin Neff, PhD & Chris Germer, PhD, offers a research-backed approach to improving emotional well-being by integrating mindfulness and self-compassion into daily life.

🔹 What You’ll Gain:
✅ Motivation through encouragement rather than self-criticism
✅ Tools to navigate difficult emotions with acceptance and kindness
✅ A deeper understanding of self-compassion’s impact on emotional well-being
✅ Mindfulness techniques to ease anxiety, self-doubt, and grief
✅ Practices to support yourself and others with warmth and understanding

💡 Course Format:
📖 8 Weekly Sessions (2.5 hours each)
🧘 4-Hour Half-Day Retreat (Sunday, May 4, at Benedict Canyon Retreat House)
🗣️ Engaging discussions, guided meditations, and small-group exercises

🎓 Continuing Education (CE) Credits Available
🧠 Psychologists & LCSWs/MFTs: 24 CE hours via UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness
💉 Nurses: 28.75 contact hours through the California Board of Registered Nursing

🔗 Register Here
📩 Need Financial Assistance? [Learn More]

Embrace self-compassion. Because healing begins with how we treat ourselves. 🌱

At the California Grief Center, we offer grief therapy and group experiences designed to support you through loss. Visit www.caligrief.com to learn more about our services and upcoming events.

With care and compassion,

Brian Stefan, LCSW

Founder, California Grief Center