A compassionate, meaning-centered approach to living with loss developed by Lara Krawchuk, MSW, LCSW, MPH.Â
Grief is not something to fix or move through. It is something to be met, tended to, and woven into a meaningful life.Â
What is
Meaningful Grief?
Meaningful Grief is a contemporary framework for supporting people facing profound loss. It honors grief as a natural, non-pathological response to a world changed by loss and centers meaning, compassion, and inner leadership as pathways forward.
Rather than offering stages, timelines, or fixes, this work creates space for grief to be understood, witnessed, and integrated—at a pace shaped by the person living it.
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"We do not fix grief. We help grieving clients learn to live WITH it."
- Lara Krawchuk
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Developed by
Lara Krawchuk
Meaningful Grief was developed by Lara Krawchuk, MSW, LCSW, MPH, as a response to the limitations of traditional grief frameworks—particularly for those carrying complex loss, trauma, or unspoken pain.
Lara is a licensed clinical social worker, certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist and consultant, educator, and grief specialist with more than 30 years of experience supporting individuals and professionals through loss, trauma, and life transitions. Her work is grounded in deep clinical training and a belief in the human capacity for meaning, creativity, and self-led healing.
LEARN MORE ABOUT LARAHow this work is oriented
Grief Is Not a Disorder
Loss changes us. Grief is a human response, not something gone wrong.
All of You Is Welcome
The painful, the confusing, the hopeful, the contradictory—nothing needs to be excluded.
Meaning
Matters
Healing grows from understanding the unique story, context, and impact of each loss.
Hope Without Pressure
Growth is possible over time—without forcing acceptance or positivity.
What This Work Supports
BECOMING SELF-LED HEALERS
Participants develop greater inner clarity, steadiness, and self-trust—learning to meet grief from a place of internal leadership rather than overwhelm.
LIVING WITH GRIEF, NOT AGAINST IT
Instead of trying to “move on,” people learn how to carry grief in ways that allow for meaning, connection, and continued bonds.
CAPACITY TO HOLD COMPLEXITY
The ability to hold pain and possibility, sorrow and growth—without needing to resolve or rush either.
REBUILDING A MEANINGFUL LIFE
Over time, participants report more space for purpose, connection, and moments of goodness alongside grief.
Ways to Engage
Retreats & Workshops
Immersive spaces for reflection, creative engagement, and deep presence with grief. Designed to support personal healing, community connection, and meaning-making.
Grief Coaching
One-on-one support for individuals navigating loss, transition, or identity change. Coaching centers compassionate witnessing, self-leadership, and integration.
Professional Continuing Education
Training for clinicians, therapists, and helping professionals seeking thoughtful, trauma-informed, meaning-oriented approaches to grief and loss.
Meaningful Grief Retreat
Meaningful Grief retreats are immersive learning experiences for therapists and helping professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of grief through a meaning-centered, trauma-informed lens.
Our retreats offer a rich blend of teaching, reflection, and experiential learning focused on the Meaningful Grief model and its application in clinical and helping work.
Participants gain a deeper, embodied understanding of self-led healing, ethical pacing, and non-pathologizing approaches to grief, supporting greater confidence and clarity when working with complex loss.
Upcoming dates forthcoming.
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