My conversation with today’s guest, Allan Cole, was such a powerful reminder that loss comes from so many places, not just death and that even those of us trained to help others need help sometimes too. He offers up so much warmth and wisdom as he shares the story of his diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson’s disease at the age of 48. The layers of loss he unpacks for an individual with a progressive illness like Parkinson’s and the road to mean-making he shares is shaped not just by his personal experiences but also by the decades his spent as a social work educator, clinician, author and more.

Episode Resources:

If you’d like to buy Allan’s beautiful book you can find it here: Counseling Persons with Parkinson's Disease. In the Care of Plenty (Poems) is now available too!

Jump straight into:

(04:21) - Allan’s earliest memory of grief: Losing a beloved

(11:12) - Uncertainty and fear: Getting diagnosed with Parkinson’s at 48

(22:05) - Fighting a lonely battle: When do we experience ambiguous loss?

(28:03) - Help for the helpers? How to seek support even as a professional

(33:27) - A new life: How illness can be a transformative and constructive

(46:06) - Allan’s daughter’s experience with the diagnosis

(50:17) - Allan’s approach to loss-based counseling

Episode Sponsor –

We all need help sometimes. That is a universal truth. Mir’s dedicated and compassionate staff of Life Care Managers support their clients, their families, friends and caregivers through their care journeys. Their licensed clinicians and social workers help navigate and provide solutions for care management and provide support during what can be a difficult and challenging time. You can learn more at www.mircareconsultants.com. They even offer a free 30-minute consultation by contacting info@mircareconsultants.

About The Show:

If you love deep, honest, authentic conversations, get ready to love Grief is a Sneaky Bitch. Host Lisa Keefauver, is a grief and empathy activist who holds an extensive grief resume herself, as a social worker, narrative therapist, grief guide, and widow.

From CEOs and social workers to best-selling authors, educators, filmmakers, and stay-at-home moms, her guests open up about the complexity, confusion, and even confidence they have gained by navigating a grief journey of their own. To learn more about the show and how Lisa Keefauver is reimagining grief, sign up for her not-so-regular newsletter follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or visit www.lisakeefauver.com today!

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