Grief in Paradise: Regional Health Connector Megan Wise Strengthens Supports for Grieving Community Members in Southwestern Colorado 

By Taruni Donti 

Trigger Warning: This article mentions the death of a child and serious mental health struggles such as depression and suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing grief, please consider the resources at the end of the blog post.  

Wise taught at elementary schools in Telluride for eight years before her son Alder died in 2021.  

“I tried to teach for a year after,” said Wise, “but my heart wasn’t in it as much as it used to be.” When Wise tried to find help to navigate her grief, she instead found a lack of in-person therapy or other supports.  

Wise connected with a friend from the Tri-County Health Network – a trusted nonprofit that improves community health in southwestern Colorado – to ask if they were already working on building grief support in the region. The answer was no, they weren’t, but a few days later Wise received a call. Tri-County Health Network had an open position for an RHC for Region 10, supporting San Miguel, Ouray, Montrose, Delta, Hinsdale, and Gunnison Counties.  

What is an RHC?

RHCs work across every region of Colorado, fostering connections between clinical and community resources to address the unique health needs of their own communities. RHCs work to change systems by strengthening partnerships with their communities. Their roles are under the purview of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), are evaluated by a team at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and they receive training and support from Trailhead Institute who serves as the program office.

In September 2023, Wise took the role and worked to build support for grieving community members in her region.  

Wise completed a community needs assessment for Region 10 in fall 2023 using local data from surveys, interviews with community members and local mental health providers, and her own lived experience.  

When Wise reviewed local survey data that had previously been collected, she couldn’t find much related to grief. But the data she did find revealed the challenging state of mental health in the region.  

Across the nation, mountain towns face serious mental health crises, including higher rates of depression and suicide as documented in the film The Paradise Paradox. According to the Colorado Health Access Survey, 1 in 5 people surveyed in Region 10 reported having a poor mental health status, which is defined as reporting poor mental health on eight or more days in the last month. Data from the CDPHE showed that an average of almost 1 in 5 adults in Region 10 have been diagnosed with depressive disorder. In San Miguel County, 2 in 5 adults reported that they felt lonely, lacked companionship, felt left out, and/or felt isolated from others according to Tri-County Health Network’s 2024 Quality of Life Survey.  

CO Health Viz reports that the rate of suicide in Montrose County (41.1 deaths per 100,000 people) and Delta County (28.5 per 100,000) was higher compared to the state average (22.04 per 100,000 people). According to the 2023 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, 35% of high school and 32% of middle school students in Telluride had a friend tell them that they had thoughts of suicide one or more times. The survey also reports that 76% of Telluride High School students have experienced the death of a family member or close friend.  

Also a researcher at Arizona State University, Dr. Cacciatore conducted numerous studies on grief that connect unaddressed traumatic grief to anxiety, depression, and other mental health illnesses in the future. This then increases the risk of developing substance use disorders, having a physical illness such as respiratory disease, heart disease, and cancer, and ultimately living a shorter life. So, to address overall health and wellbeing, people must be able to access support to process grief.  

“Looking at my own caseload,” said Lindsay Wright, LMFT, another mental health provider, “about 75% of my clients have an element of grief they’re working through.”  

But not everyone can access mental health services. The 2024 West Mountain region Community Engagement & Behavioral Health Survey Report states that 32% of people in San Miguel County were not able to access the mental health services they needed. Stigma, according to the West Central Public Health Partnership and San Miguel County 2022 Health Assessment, is one reason why community members don’t access both physical and mental health services. Another is the lack of mental and behavioral health providers in the region, with even fewer certified in grief support due to lack of provider training or resources on how to help patients navigate grief. County Health Rankings & Roadmaps shows that Region 10 has fewer mental health providers available (1 provider for every 392 people) compared to the Colorado average (1 for every 230 people) or even the national average (1 for every 340 people). 

Similarly in interviews, many community members said they couldn’t access therapy – especially in-person therapy – when grieving. Wright shared, “I have made a list of therapists [in the region], and the majority do not specialize in grief. In the wake of someone having a loss, I look around and a lot of the time I can narrow it down to two therapists who are equipped to do this work.” 

Wise experienced this herself when she tried to access therapy after the death of her son. “When I finally felt like I was ready to talk to someone about it, I reached out to the local medical center. They gave me a list of therapists. On one column, it said if they specialized in grief. I called, and people kept saying no. They weren’t accepting new clients, only did teletherapy, or didn’t actually specialize in grief. To be able to take that step to even make that phone call was incredibly difficult and painful. Then I got shut down at every call I made.” 

“If you have a loved one dying in a city,” said Shaffner, “there would be many more robust hospice services – grief counselors, social worker, chaplain… a whole system that exists, but we don’t have that here.”

Based on her needs assessment, Wise created a plan to build a connected network of providers and resources for grief. She had the following goals: 

1. Change the way her community thinks about death and handles grief.  
2. Be more open to talk about grief publicly and decrease stigma around receiving support.  
3. Create new systems and policies to provide support for bereaved families.  

People, Yoga, Art, and Nature 

To respond to the lack of mental and behavioral health services available in her community and the low capacity that the few mental health providers in the area have, Wise focused her work as an RHC on launching more activities that provide a space for people to connect and talk about their grief. 

One way is through grief support groups. Twice a year, mental health providers Shaffner and Wright facilitate eight-week closed sessions with a group of twelve community members. Participants have said the groups have been incredibly helpful in processing their grief. 

But not everyone wants to discuss their grief with others. Yoga and art classes for people who are grieving offer a space where people don’t have to talk to others but can still express their emotions, process them, and move with their grief.  

Community members take part in a Nature Movement for Grief class on the San Miguel River.

In 2024, Wise also distributed over 300 grief support care kits to community members in all 6 counties of her region. These kits include comfort items such as tea bags, fidget toys and stress balls, a journal and a pen, wildflower seeds to plant in honor of your loved one, a rock to keep in your pocket that you can rub when anxious, and kindness cards – an idea from the MISS foundation. The kit also includes fliers for upcoming community events to support those grieving and a grief support handbook Wise created in English and Spanish that includes resources where people can reach out for support. 

“Sometimes people reach out for a kit to give to someone they know who’s just lost someone, or we’ve given them out in situation where we’ve heard about a death. We’ve also given them to county coroners to have on hand to give to the family. People have found them super helpful.” 

“I went to the Care Farm after Alder died,” said Wise. “My husband and I spent 3 days there working with a counselor and doing therapy with the animals. All the animals have been through their own trauma, so it’s kind of like they get it in a way that humans don’t.” 

Wise completed Dr. Cacciatore’s Compassionate Bereavement Care Provider training at the Selah Care Farm in April. The training teaches the ATTEND (attunement, trust, therapeutic touch, egalitarianism, nuance, and death education) model, a mindful and evidence-based, culturally-sensitive paradigm for compassionate care to the traumatically bereaved. Wise knew it was the right training for her after receiving counseling based on the ATTEND model. 

“I’ve jumped around with a lot of different therapists before I found one that I felt like fit after Alder died. I feel like what’s different with the ones who are using the ATTEND model is that it feels real. There’s no right way to grieve. The therapist at the care farm was so good at being there and being 100% in the moment with you and truly listening to what you were saying and giving you time.” 

Community members experience the healing power of nature through a sunset grief yoga class.

After returning to Telluride, Wise worked with the Tri-County Health Network to fund the training. The training explored the diverse ways that people experience traumatic grief, the avoidant culture around grief, and tools to support grieving people. Twenty-two providers completed the training. “We went from two therapists in the region who are certified to support grieving people to 22,” Wise said. “Most of them didn’t know each other at the beginning, and by the end of four days together, everyone felt really connected.” 

One participant said, “I’m incredibly grateful to be a part of this. We talked a lot about the needs and complexities of our community. How this translates to impact in our community has no easy answers, but I know that we will make a change because relationships are the most important thing.”    

Wise also finds support through her relationship with Gillian Grant, Senior Program Manager of the RHC program at Trailhead Institute. Gillian provides training and support for RHCs through monthly check-ins, trainings to build skills, and connecting RHCs to each other and other resources. Gillian also hosts an annual retreat where RHCs from across the state gather to connect and learn from one another about how to change health systems to work better for their communities.  

Wise especially hopes to provide more resources for the Spanish speakers in her community. This includes hosting grief yoga classes in Spanish and English and interpretation at other events. 

She said, “A big part of our community are Spanish speakers. I’ve spoken with some community members about how in different cultures, grief is something that’s processed within the family. It’s not necessarily culturally appropriate to come to a grief-focused event.” Alongside Spanish-speakers, Wise plans to explore new avenues of support that respect cultural and individual differences. 

Wise also hopes to create a memorial garden in Telluride. “As a resort town, there’s this culture of happiness in Telluride. I think it’s important to have a place in town where you can go to express sadness and remember someone who’s died. Maybe you can leave a rock with their name on it, or you can have their name engraved on a wall, or just have a quiet place to meditate or gather in times of remembrance.” Wise currently has support from the town and local government of Telluride and is applying for funding to build the garden.  

In addition, Wise wants to expand free in-person therapy services in her region. Ideally, a group of therapists – all who have finished the compassionate bereavement care provider certification – can offer up to three free sessions for people who need grief counseling. Funding from grants or donations would cover the therapists’ fee. Free services would support community members who may not be able to afford therapy immediately after the death of a loved one.  

“The greater impact that I would like to see,” Wise said, “is changing the way that our community deals with grief as a whole.” Through strengthening grief supports that truly honor everyone’s needs, the hope is to decrease fear, confront grief, and promote togetherness. “Grief and death are part of life on this planet. I hope the impact of all of this is that the whole community can open up, be genuine, not be afraid to talk about grief and death, and be really good at supporting each other through those difficult times.” 

By doing this work, Wise often thinks of her son Alder.  

“The main reason that I want to do this work is because he’s in it every day. When I went back to teaching after he died, it felt like I had to compartmentalize my life. I had to shut down the part of my brain that was grieving. I feel like the reason that my heart wants to be doing this work is because I don’t have to compartmentalize. I can honor Alder. People say part of me died when he died. I think that’s absolutely true, if not all of me died. I’m completely different than I used to be, and I need to express that through what I’m doing, with everything that I do. I feel like I’m better for having known him. Part of him is in me and makes me who I am today, and being able to work in the grief realm allows me to share that more often with others.” – Megan Wise

If you or someone you know is experiencing grief, here are some resources that can offer support both in and outside of Colorado. This is not an all-encompassing list as we know that grief comes in many forms across many different contexts. We encourage you to explore resources in your local community, if available. 

• RHC Megan Wise’s Grief Support Handbook in English and Spanish 
• Dr. Joanne Cacciatore’s Center for Loss and Trauma, which has links to more resources including the MISS Foundation and Selah Carefarm. 
• The Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families, which includes resources in multiple languages.  
• GrieveWell, which includes a network of peer support.  

If you would like to contact Wise about her work, please reach out to m.wise@tchnetwork.org   

Connect with your local RHC here. Learn more about the work of RHCs by reading our other stories of impact below.