Our 2023 Whidbey Island Grief Retreat was a huge success and participants described it as a life-changing experience. We are in the midst of planning for next year's retreat. If you are interested in learning about our 2024 retreat, please sign up now for our waiting list.

Summer 2024 Whidbey Island Grief Retreat

Dates: TBD

Grief is a lifelong experience that changes somewhat like the tides. Please join us for a grief retreat on Whidbey Island in Washington State to learn to navigate the everchanging landscape of grief. Retreat attendees will immerse themselves in the beauty of Whidbey Island with a community of fellow grievers to develop insight and tools to better navigate long-term grief. The Island sanctuary provides attendees the opportunity to reflect on the deep impact of grief and how it has formed and informed their lives. Using the gifts of the Island, attendees will explore who they were prior to grief and then, examine who they are today, to gain a new perspective on how grief has changed identity and relationships. Participants will engage in individual reflection, group interactions and experiential activities on the Island. Attendees will leave the Island with an expanded understanding of selves and identity, strengthen connections with loved ones no longer present, and fresh vision for future directions.

Intended Audience: This retreat is designed for individuals who have processed the shock and initial impact of their loss and want to explore the on-going influence of grief.

Early Bird Pricing: TBD

Additional Workshops:
Nature Therapy: Take Your Grief for a Hike
Get Creative and Put Your Grief in a Box

The retreat experience will emphasize wholeness and include:

  • Optional morning movement
  • Group processing
  • Time for individual reflection
  • Island field trips
  • Social time with participants
  • Community meals
  • Soul work
  • Creative projects
  • Optional closing meditations

Topics to be explored include:

  • The impact of the changing grief tides on your life
  • Stepping in to who you are now
  • The mixed emotions associated with happiness
  • Staying connected and fears of forgetting
  • Finding future directions when the tides feel low

Grief Retreat Facilitators:

Dr. Jennifer R. Levin, PhD, LMFT, FT is a traumatic grief therapist and a Fellow in Thanatology.  Jennifer specializes in unexpected death and working with individuals with cancer loss.  She is also the host of the podcast “Untethered: Healing after a Sudden Death” and is a sought-after speaker in the areas of grief, sudden death, and living with life-threatening illness.

Cindi Sinnema has worked in the field of traumatic response and community support for over 30 years. She has worked with individuals, families and communities who have been impacted by disasters, both natural and man-made. In her role as Chaplain, she trained community volunteers to provide assistance in the aftermath of trauma and loss.