ABOUT
Learning Through Loss
It takes a village to raise young people
Grief & loss programs built on the strength of youth peer support
Grief is universal and support should be too.
Immersed in the field of grief and loss, respected academic researcher and hospice practitioner Sandra Elder Ph.D. realized the need for accessible, supportive programs for youth experiencing loss. In 1988, she created a group program for young people called Friends of Living and Learning Through Loss (LTL) which became a registered Canadian charity in 1994. Since then, Learning Through Loss has become the community expert at helping youth through grief and loss and bereavement while teaching others about the impact of grief on youth and how to better help them through it.
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Through our programs, workshops and counselling services, we reach thousands of youth each year. Our programs are built on the strength of youth peer support, belonging, and the often difficult terrain of navigating grief and loss guided by an experienced registered clinical counsellor.
Educational workshops are provided to youth in schools and community organizations to enhance community awareness and knowledge about grief. Our community education and professional development workshops are available to communities across the island for anyone who wants to learn more about how to better support youth through loss.
Learning Through Loss is a proudly an accessible and inclusive organization that is welcoming to BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+ and all youth regardless of socio-economic status.
YEARS IN SERVICE
YOUTH SERVED
35
+30,000
+1,300
GRIEF WORKSHOPS DELIVERED
I learned that, with grief, you have to take it one day at a time and learn how to find the happiness amid the heartbreak.
Adrienne C. Moore
Our Mission
Learning Through Loss (LTL) delivers grief and loss education and support programs to youth and provides professional development and training to youth-serving organizations to increase well-being through grief, loss and bereavement.
Our Vision
We envision a community where all youth, and those that support them, have access to education, support, and resources relating to grief, loss and healthy strategies for well-being.
Our Values
Who we are
Hope
Giving hope to youth, their families, and community members who are navigating grief and loss.
Education
Providing professional resources to youth, their families, schools and community members to live, learn, and cope with loss.
Community
Working collaboratively with our community partners to support youth experiencing grief and loss.
Inclusive
Serving all youth, their families, and community members with integrity, professionalism, accountability and excellence.
Meet the team
Our Operations & Program Support Team
MEGAN KANT (She/Her)
Executive Director
Meg is determined to increase access and reduce barriers for youth seeking support for grief, loss and bereavement. She firmly believes in the vision of LTL that grief is universal, and support should be too. Meg is prioritizing the expansion of LTL's workshops to help ensure that youth in Victoria have pillars of support in place when they need it most. Meg brings over a decade of mission-motivated leadership, and is deeply skilled at building, connecting and growing strong teams, as well as delivering exceptional results in the non-for-profit and private sector. Meg's own experience with loss led her to this area of work, and she is passionate about supporting LTL in it mission.
TAMARA COTTON (She/Her)
Program Director
Tamara has a heart for helping youth through tough times and the experience to boot. Over 35+ years she’s supported kids facing serious illnesses and grief as a child life specialist and youth counsellor, guided meaningful ceremonies as a life-cycle celebrant, and facilitated anxiety groups. What’s driven her path? Tamara finds purpose in providing the grief support she wishes she had in her youth. With this stellar background, it’s fair to say that Tamara comes to the Program Director role like peanut butter on jelly. During her free time, you’ll find Tamara digging fully into her life by painting, traveling, singing, dancing on the beach, and making memories with her family.
RUVA GATSI (She/Her)
Youth Engagement and Program Assistant
Ruva is a student pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Communications Studies. She has a passion for Public Relations and Marketing and is planning to focus her career down this path. In addition to supporting LTL operational and program administration, Ruva is particularly interested in connecting with younger individuals through our social media platforms. Her own lived experiences enable her to deeply understand the gravity of coping with loss and grief. She looks forward to her using her voice help support fellow youth find comfort and support at Learning Through Loss.
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OLIVIA HAHN (She/Her)
Volunteer Youth Ambassador
Olivia Hahn joined LTL as a Volunteer Youth Ambassador in the spring of 2023. Inspired by participating in one of LTL's loss and grief peer support programs, Olivia reached out to explore ways she could make a meaningful contribution to other young people experiencing profound loss and grief. In addition to joining LTL at events, Olivia supports outreach to encourage other young people to seek support. She is also part of our youth consultation team and helps inform ways that LTL can better connect with young people, who like her, are seeking hope, comfort and community so they don't have to grieve alone.
An accomplished author of two books, Olivia shares her wisdom and insights in her two books. Healing our Wounded Hearts: A real life story about loss in the voice of teenager and To Hold Your Hand One More Time: A book of poetry.
Our Counsellors & Facilitators
LAYLA CASPER (She/Her)
Facilitator
Layla Casper is an experienced high school educator and retired professional Dance Artist. She holds Bachelor Degrees in Business Administration, Education, and has recently started her Master’s Degree in School Counselling. Layla is passionate about supporting youth and advocating for Arts in Education.
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ASH GILLIES MA (She/Her)
Facilitator
Ashley Gillies is a Process-Oriented Community, Somatic, Earth-based Therapist and Deep Democracy Facilitator. Gratefully living and working in Lekwungen Territory, Ashley maintains a private practice supporting individuals and couples through transformation, as well as providing teaching methods for somatic healing and relationship facilitation in colleges and workshop settings. Having lost both her parents at a younger age, Ashley trained in a wide array of approaches to grief work. Ashley is a facilitator with Learning Through Loss where she can offer knowledge, support, and guidance to youth and families experiencing grief and loss.
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Crystal James, (she/her), MSW RCSW
Counsellor
Crystal James (she/her), MSW, RCSW
Crystal feels privileged to support youth who have experienced a loss on the unceded lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, from whom she has learned so much about how to heal from emotional pain. With close to two decades of experience working with youth and working as a mental health clinician for the past seven years, Crystal brings values of authenticity, diversity and decolonization to her practice. She has a Master of Social Work from the University of Victoria and is a Registered Clinical Social Worker (#12728) with the BC College of Social Workers. Crystal brings several approaches to her work including acceptance commitment therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, narrative therapy, and response-based therapy. In her free time, Crystal can be found caring for her two small children and dog, going for walks and hikes, practicing meditation, listening to live music, and building community.
NICHOLA WATSON, RCC (She/Her)
Counsellor
Nichola intentionally creates safe spaces to have conversations and work together. She is a graduate of City University of Seattle and a Registered Clinical Counsellor with more than fifteen years of experience. In addition to providing loss and grief counselling for Learning Through Loss, Nichola works with individuals experiencing psychological trauma, interpersonal violence, suicidality, substance use, as well as mental well-being and poverty issues. As a crisis counsellor for Victoria Sexual Assault Centre, she also provides immediate short-term support to women, girls, and trans survivors of sexualized violence. Nichola leads a Black Youth Empowerment Group and worked as a private contractor at a Tribal School providing counselling to children and youth. When she is not doing clinical work, Nichola is researching, writing, or publishing books. She is grateful to live and work on the unceded Coast Salish territory of the Lekwungen and WSANEC nations.
CHELSEA PEDDLE, M.Ed, RCC (She/Her)
Facilitator and Program Developer
Chelsea is privileged to be a guest on the beautiful traditional territories of the Lekwungen peoples where she strives to offer inclusive and compassionate support to the diverse families. A death doula and a registered clinical counsellor, Chelsea helps individuals, families and children feel anchored through the uncertainty of a serious diagnosis or the grief of terminal illness. Chelsea has a master’s degree in education from the University of British Columbia and a Certificate in Human Rights Education from Equitas International Centre for Human Rights Education in Montreal. She lives in Victoria with her two children, loves to watch baking shows with her family, though she says her own recipes don’t usually turn out as well as the ones on tv!
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MACAYLA YAN, RCC (Any Pronouns)
Counsellor
Based on Lekwungen Homelands, Macayla is a justice-oriented counsellor. Their approach is rooted in systemic, holistic, and anti-colonial understandings of wellness. In counselling, they understand the relationship to be the foundation of the work we do together. To Macayla this means believing in a co-created safe and establishing a supportive relationship together that provides space for nurturance and transformation. Macayla works with you to uphold and expand upon your inner healing abilities and natural capacity for growth.
MATTHEW YOCHIM, RCC (HE/HIM)
Counsellor
Matt is a Clinical Counsellor working in the Cowichan Bay area. He operates primarily in private practice, working with adults and youth in a variety of areas. He also works part time with Songhees Nation, in Victoria. Matt loves counselling because it gives him an opportunity to connect with people in a genuine way. Matt operates from a trauma-informed lens, and looks to foster a supportive environment where individuals feel free to be themselves and express what they might be struggling with. Outside of his professional work, Matt enjoys hiking, running, and believes movement is a key component to health and happiness.
VIJAY MANN, RCC (He/Him)
Counsellor
Vijay is a mental health therapist with almost a decade of experience. He has worked with several school districts as a school counsellor, and has participated in several community mental health initiatives. Vijay's practice is informed by his understanding that people are unique with unique experiences, and bring distinct histories and concerns to therapy. He specializes in numerous areas including anxiety, grief and loss, and depression, among others. Vijay focuses on holistic health and brings multi-faceted approaches to his work with clients, including trauma-informed practices, EMDR, internal family systems therapy, and several other approaches.
KYLA BODENHAM, RSW (She/Her)
Facilitator
Kyla is a Mental Health Clinician working in the greater Victoria area. She works both in private practice and in a local high school as a Youth and Family Counsellor. She has over fourteen years experience working with children, youth and families in a variety of settings. Kyla received her Masters in Clinical Social Work from the University of Calgary. Kyla works with a trauma informed lens and continuously strives to create a safe and non-judgmental collaborative environment for those that she works with. Kyla is passionate about supporting and empowering youth and their families through life’s journeys. In her free time Kyla can be found walking, hiking and exploring in nature and on the amazing beaches of the west coast.
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Our Board of Directors
Samantha Magnus
Mauricio Deutsch
Chair
Vice Chair
Tim Cummings
Treasurer
Olachi Okwengu
Secretary
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Roger Lesage
Director
Marion Selfridge
Director
Director
Tommy Tu
Director
Zaid AlShaddadi
Director
Take action. Join our Board of Directors.
Our Board of Directors are an essential part of furthering our mission to make grieving resources and support more accessible to youth. By becoming an director, you directly affect the lives of thousands of youth each year.
Please fill in our expression of interest form and we will be in touch.