Sometimes, the period following the service can be equally as painful because others are getting on with their lives. Often that leaves a person in grief wondering where to turn for support.

McInnis & Holloway knows that grieving can take months – and even years – to work through. That’s why we’ve developed Olive Branch, a grief support and educational service for the community.

Olive Branch Support Services includes:

• Family Follow-up
• Support and Referral Service
• Education Services for Groups

Donna Devlin, a Mental Health Nurse Consultant with years of experience in grief, loss, trauma and mental wellness, coordinates Olive Branch Support Services.

To view feedback on our Olive Branch program, click here.

To view the news release and background on Olive Branch, click here.

For information on Olive Branch, call us at (403) 276-2296, or e-mail us at olivebranch@mcinnisandholloway.com

Grieving is a process that takes time. There are tremendous resources available, and we are in a unique position to help link families with those resources.

Every family served by McInnis & Holloway will be offered a home visit by our Family Support Provider. McInnis & Holloway families will be provided with a package specially tailored to the unique family loss, and will include information on grief and support services available. This is all available free of charge.

Whether our families turn to us before the need arises to make advanced plannings, or after a service through Olive Branch, it’s just one of the many things we can do to help.

For information on family follow-up, call us at (403) 276-2296 and ask for an Olive Branch Grief Consultant. Or, e-mail us at olivebranch@mcinnisandholloway.com

Referrals may be given to direct the grieving individual or family to one of many excellent grief support services in their area.

For support and referral service, call us at (403) 276-2296 and ask for an Olive Branch Grief Consultant. Or, e-mail us at olivebranch@mcinnisandholloway.com

Now, in addition to booklet information, “Cultural Customs and Traditions in Times of Death and Bereavement”, our Grief Consultants offer seminars and support programs for community groups, schools, churches, hospitals, palliative care organizations, civic groups and long-term care facilities.

Here are some of the seminar topics we cover through the Olive Branch program:

• Is a funeral service necessary?
• Customs and traditions surrounding a funeral service.
• Life after loss – understand your grief
• Grief and the holidays.
• Children and adolescents’ grief.
• Suicide bereavement.
• Professional training about the grief process and helping those who grieve.
• How to facilitate adult or children’s grief groups.
• Care Giver’s Life Well Lived.
• Life after Loss Bereavement Support Group.

E-mail us at olivebranch@mcinnisandholloway.com to book a presentation, or call us at (403) 276-2296 and ask for an Olive Branch Grief Consultant.

McInnis & Holloway is proud to bring a high caliber of care to our Olive Branch Support Services through the compassionate expertise of Donna Devlin.

A Registered Psychiatric Nurse with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Calgary, Donna has several years’ experience in grief, loss, trauma and mental wellness. For years she was a Mental Health Therapist and Mental Health Promotion and Education Coordinator for Alberta Mental Health Services.

Through her work, Donna saw that people often felt isolated and alone in their grief after a significant loss. She is delighted to work with McInnis & Holloway’s Olive Branch Support Services to help address this need through education, support and referral services.

Donna now specializes in providing seminars and workshops to families and community groups to help them with grief management. She is especially noted for her warmth, compassion and sense of humor.

“People need to have the opportunity for further support. There are so many misconceptions associated with grieving. It is very beneficial to dispel these by offering families and individuals hope and a healthy way to look at their grief.”
– Donna Devlin