CSPE Fall Immersive Course

When Someone Is Dying and the Relationship Was Complicated

Making room for grief, ambivalence and the relationship that actually existed

When someone is dying, people often expect old differences to fall away.

Sometimes they do.

Sometimes approaching death brings years of hurt, distance, conflict, disappointment, longing or unfinished experience closer to the surface.

A person may feel love and anger, compassion and resentment, sadness and relief—sometimes within the same hour. Family expectations may add pressure to visit, forgive, reconcile, provide care or feel a particular kind of grief.

This two-part live online course explores the human complexity of approaching a death when the relationship has been difficult.

Course schedule

Thursdays, November 5 and 12, 2026
7:30–9:00 PM Mountain Time
Two live online sessions

Tuition

$179 CAD

When dying does not simplify the relationship,  the end of a life can carry many realities at once.

You may care deeply about the person and still remember what happened.

You may want contact while also needing distance.

You may feel responsible for their comfort and uncertain about what you can genuinely offer.

You may grieve the person, the relationship you had, the relationship you hoped for or the possibility that some things may remain unresolved.

This course creates room to understand those responses without forcing a particular emotional outcome.

What we will explore

Session One — Understanding Complicated Relationship Grief

The first session examines what can arise when serious illness and approaching death meet a difficult relational history.

We will explore:

• Mixed and conflicting emotions
• Anticipatory grief in complicated relationships
• Grieving what happened and what never happened
• Old family roles and patterns
• Guilt, obligation and responsibility
• The wish for acknowledgment or repair
• The possibility of relief alongside sadness
• How approaching death can affect emotional capacity and decision-making
• Why different family members may understand the same relationship very differently

Participants will gain language for experiences that are often difficult to name.

Session Two — Finding Your Way Through

The second session focuses on choices, boundaries and the many forms that care may take.

We will explore:

• Deciding what kind of contact feels possible
• Being present in ways that respect personal capacity
• Communicating boundaries to family members
• Responding to pressure from others
• Preparing for a conversation that may matter
• Allowing words to remain unsaid
• Understanding forgiveness and reconciliation as personal choices
• Supporting someone without rewriting the history of the relationship
• Preparing for grief after the death
• Finding an honest and humane way forward

Participants will have space to reflect on general questions and consider what integrity might look like within their own circumstances.

Who is this course for?

This course may be meaningful for:

• People facing the approaching death of someone with whom the relationship has been difficult
• Estranged or distanced family members
• Adult children of complicated parents
• People carrying unresolved hurt, disappointment or longing
• Family members navigating different views of the dying person
• Caregivers balancing compassion with personal limits
• Friends and extended family supporting someone in this situation
• Hospice volunteers, end-of-life doulas and helping professionals
• Anyone seeking a more nuanced understanding of grief and difficult relationships

Participants choose what they wish to share. Personal disclosure is never required.

What this course offers

Participants will leave with:

• Language for understanding mixed emotional responses
• A broader view of grief in complicated relationships
• Greater clarity about care, responsibility and personal capacity
• Ways to communicate boundaries with steadiness
• Questions to support thoughtful decision-making
• Recognition that grief can include many emotional truths
• A more compassionate understanding of their own or another person’s response

Care can take many forms

Care may look like sitting at the bedside.

It may look like making a phone call, writing a letter, helping from a distance, supporting another family member or choosing a level of contact that reflects present capacity.

Reconciliation and forgiveness remain deeply personal choices. A meaningful response can arise from honesty, dignity and respect for the realities of the relationship.

Recording access

Registered participants will receive access to recordings of both teaching sessions.

Recordings will remain available until November 19, 2026.

Participants may attend live, use the recordings for review or complete the course through a combination of live attendance and recording access.

Recordings are provided for registered participants and may not be shared, copied or distributed.

Educational scope

This course offers education and guided reflection within CSPE’s non-medical scope.

It is designed to increase understanding of grief, relational complexity, boundaries and end-of-life experiences. Participants may also choose personal, cultural, spiritual, community or therapeutic support appropriate to their individual circumstances.

About CSPE

The Centre for Supportive Palliative Education offers accessible education about grief, caregiving, serious illness, dying, death and bereavement.

CSPE creates learning spaces where difficult subjects can be approached with clarity, warmth and humanity.

When Someone Is Dying and the Relationship Was Complicated

November 5 and 12, 2026
Thursdays, 7:30–9:00 PM Mountain Time
Two live online sessions

Tuition: $179 CAD

Registration closes on November 3/26.

After this date, please contact CSPE directly to ask about remaining space and late registration.

Tuition is paid in full at registration. 

Late registries and general questions about training are welcome.