About Journeys Through Grief

Dr. Galen Goben, FT
Clergy Services & Grief Support Director

I have been involved with grief and loss for almost 30 years. In grief it is possible to find beauty interspersed among the sorrow and difficulty. I know, I’ve seen it and experienced it.

I have sat bedside with people as they have died. In a room of grieving people, I have been privileged to witness the strength that comes from love. I’ve listened as people shared their struggles with grief. To which I have pointed out how they are traveling the road of grief and doing so with courage. It is amazing to see how instinctual grieving is.

I am a Fellow in Thanatology, the study of dying, death, and bereavement, through the Association for Death Education and Counseling and have earned a Doctorate in Thanatology. My doctoral work developed bereavement training. I have used this knowledge to present workshops to groups such as hospice staff, bereaved families, churches, law enforcement, members of the funeral profession, nursing students, pastors, and counselors.

I’ve traveled grief’s mandated journey myself following the deaths of my parents, family members, and close friends. These deaths have been both anticipated and unexpected. The deaths we anticipate can bring a sense of relief along with the sadness and emptiness. The unexpected ones often deliver shock and regret because of their suddenness. The suddenness leaves things unsaid or actions undone.

To grieve is to stand before a great chasm of the unknown. It is often frightening. We want to get across as quickly as possible and as easily as possible. However, the only way to the other side is to enter in that chasm and go through the unknown.

If the thought of this is uncomfortable for you, then you will find a place of rest and hope here at Journeys through Grief.

If any of this is familiar to you, I invite you to follow Journeys through Grief. Learn from me and from the community gathered here. Teach us of your experience and understanding. As a community we can move forward together while comforting and strengthening each other in the process.