Standing outside the door I was genuinely fearful…working in Mental health and Addictions for the last fifteen years, I always felt I had enough in my toolkit to meet a client with some degree of confidence - a smile, a word of comfort, an air of hope. But this door was in a ward in the Royal hospital for Children, Glasgow and on the other side were a young couple and a baby on a life support machine that was soon to be turned off. These parents were saying goodbye and I was about to go through that door. Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself of the words that I had tried to follow over the last few years: “Go to the places that scare you”. And steadying myself ,I stretched out my hand, and walked though.

The year spent working with bereaved parents, fundamentally changed my way of working with people: my interactions became more soulful, more reflective and ultimately more engaging. I became convinced of the deep need for people to share their trials, losses, and grief; to tell their stories…and in the telling, perhaps to uncover some treasure, some hope or some truth to help sustain them on the road.

I’m Patrick Doherty and I live on the Isle of Bute, Scotland with one wife and two Boston Terriers.

Be well.