Our Programs for Adults

For our clients

These programs are for registered Hospice clients.

For an intake appointment to become our client, making an appointment for sessions, or learning more about the programs, please call 250-591-8811 or email to reception@nanaimohospice.com .

Services and programs are offered in-person, virtually, and by phone. Please contact us for more information.

1:1 Programs

• Professional Counseling

We offer professional counselling services for children, youth, and adults in a safe, supportive, and confidential space.
Counselling can help individuals navigate difficult times, process emotions, and find hope during seasons of uncertainty. Sometimes, having a caring person who listens can make all the difference.
Our counselling team brings a wide range of experience and compassionate approaches to support our community:

• Jim Nelson – Counsellor whose personal hospice journey inspired his commitment to supporting bereaved and terminally ill individuals.

• Bronte Pike – Child and Youth Counsellor dedicated to supporting young people navigating grief and death.

• Margaret Mulholland – Counsellor with service and training experience in trauma-informed care and EMDR therapy.

• Ann Seaweed – Registered Social Worker who blends traditional ways of knowing with contemporary practice to create safe healing spaces.

• Heather Fisk – Counsellor with a deep connection to the Nanaimo community, offering compassionate, person-centered support with a focus on grief, death, trauma-informed care, and life transitions.

• Peer support program

  Trained volunteers support clients who are grieving, anticipating the death of someone, or facing end-of-life.

We offer grief support, peer connection, and wellness-focused programs that help people navigate death, caregiving, grieving, and difficult transitions in life. Through supportive spaces and caring conversations, our clients can find understanding, practical tools, comfort, and a safe space during challenging times.

Our group program includes:

• Companions Through Anticipatory Grief

  A weekly drop-in peer support group for clients and all members of the community who are supporting or caring for someone whose death is anticipated.

  What is Anticipatory Grief?

• Traumatic loss support group

  An 8 week program for adults who have experienced the death of someone by suicide, overdose, or homicide.

• Finding my way

  An 8-week bereavement support program designed for clients who have moved through the initial raw intensity of grief and are ready for a gentle transition forward.

  This program supports participants as they move beyond regular hospice services and empowers them to take gentle steps forward at their own pace by the end of the program.

• Companion Through Grief

  The purpose of this group is to create a safe place for individuals on the grief journey and provide an opportunity to process their grief in a non-judgemental, compassionate space.

  Grief following the death of a loved one can feel isolating and overwhelming, even when others around you care deeply.

  Being with people who understand grief through lived experience can bring comfort, reduce loneliness, and help make sense of the many emotions that may arise. Peer support offers a shared space where you can feel heard, validated, and less alone as you navigate life after loss. The aim of Companions Through Grief is to offer companionship, understanding, and connection with others. Grounded in hospice philosophy, the group supports people in integrating grief into everyday life, while gently fostering resilience, self-awareness, and continued healing over time.

• Walking group

  This program offers grief support, fresh air, exercise, and companionship through weekly walks with a peer support group.

Wellness Programs

Hospice palliative care is about caring for the whole person- physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Holistic care is important because wellbeing is not only about physical health. Emotional stress, grief, anxiety, and fatigue can also have a significant impact on quality of life. Supporting both body and mind can help children, youth, adults and families feel more comfort, balance, and strength during difficult times.

Our wellness-focused programs offer gentle support for those navigating grief, caregiving, stress, and life transitions.
Our programs include:

• Self-Care Clinic (Reiki)

• In-home Reiki

• Yoga

• Meditation

• Self-Compassion and Grief Meditations

  These small, guided sessions are designed to help our clients navigate loss with greater gentleness, mindfulness, self-care, self-compassion, and inner resilience.

  How do we navigate Self-Compassion Meditations?

• A sound bath

• Scent and Grief

• Healing with Music

These supportive offerings can help reduce stress, encourage relaxation, and create moments of peace during challenging times.