Shaping the Work
A Plan for Creative Practice
You know why you do this work. You may have felt the call before you had the training, and now you have both. What you may not have yet is a clear picture of how to build a practice that is sustainable, honest about what you offer, and structured enough to function.
That is a different kind of work. And it is worth doing well.
What this is
Shaping the Work is a business planning process designed specifically for grief support practitioners who are self-employed or building toward it. It draws on a planning framework I have used and adapted for years, combined with more than thirty years of Human Resources experience that included career development, process management, and a Six Sigma Black Belt’s precision for getting things done. I also spent years coaching employees through some of life’s hardest moments, including job loss, death in the family, and major life transitions. I know how to look at a practice and see what is working, what is not, and what is missing.
I also know grief work from the inside. I am a Certified Creative Grief Support Practitioner and a member of the teaching team at Creative Grief Studio. The people who come to me for this work are not just building businesses. They are figuring out how to put something meaningful into the world without burning out or selling out.
What we work on together
The planning framework we use was developed by the late Laurie Foley in her program The Planning Kitchen, whose work I have been honored to carry forward. We use a workbook to work through:
- What worked and what did not in the past year
- Your personal definition of success, and how your practice reflects your values
- Three clear goals for the year ahead, and the specific actions that move you toward them
- A realistic look at your time, your income, and what you are actually building
- How to stop doing the things that are draining you
We meet virtually for two to three one-on-one sessions. After each session you receive notes and further reading where relevant.
Who this is for
You are already doing grief support work, or you are in training and building toward it. You may be self-employed, building toward it, or working institutionally and looking for focused professional development around your practice and where you want to take it. You are a creative person who may find traditional business planning dry, abstract, or written for someone else entirely.
This process was built for people like you.
Investment
$150 per 60-minute session. Most people complete the process in two to three sessions.
To get started, reach out through the Contact page and we will find a time to talk through what you need.
