Self Care for Funeral Professionals

Funeral professionals — including people who assist the living, handle the dead, and support those that do — serve their communities during the hardest moments. These moments don't just take place from Monday through Friday between 9am and 5pm; they happen during all hours of the day and night, on weekends and holidays, in the midst of anniversaries and school functions. For funeral professionals, this work doesn't end.

During the pandemic, the stress funeral professionals face everyday was more obvious, so CANA developed new initiatives to make resources available to support funeral directors, cemetery workers, crematory operators, embalmers, removal technicians, administrative staff, and everyone else in this sector. Here you'll find information to connect you with peers, to learn about the symptoms of burnout, to find resilience to meet these challenges, and to seek professional support when you need to.

We at CANA hope that you find this resource useful. Thank you for the work you do to serve our families, our friends, and our communities everyday.

Peer Support Meeting
Third Tuesday of Each Month
Next Meeting: Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Time: 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 5pm PT

General Guidance

Adapted from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US SAMHSA)

Signs That You May Need Stress Management Assistance

• Difficulty communicating thoughts
• Difficulty remembering instructions
• Difficulty maintaining balance
• Uncharacteristically argumentative
• Difficulty making decisions
• Limited attention span
• Unnecessary risk-taking
• Tremors/headaches/nausea
• Tunnel vision/muffled hearing
  

• Colds or flu-like symptoms
• Disorientation or confusion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Loss of objectivity
• Easily frustrated
• Unable to engage in problem-solving
• Unable to let down when off duty
• Increased use of drugs/alcohol
• Unusual clumsiness
  

Ways to Help Manage Your Stress

• Limit on-duty work hours to the workday and no more than 12 hours per day during a crisis
• Rotate from high stress to lower stress duties as practicable
• Use counseling assistance programs available such as your EAP or from the list below
• Drink plenty of water and eat healthy snacks
• Take frequent, brief breaks as practicable
• Talk about your emotions to process have seen and done
• Stay in touch with your family and friends
• Participate in memorials, rituals, and use of symbols as a way to express feelings
• Pair up with a responder so that you may monitor one another’s stress
  

Take an anonymous self-assessment from CIPSRT to help identify symptoms of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, or post-traumatic stress disorder. The tools are intended to educate and are not designed to provide a clinical diagnosis, but can help you decide whether you should consider speaking with a health care professional to get additional assistance.

Connect

Funeral Professionals Peer Support

Peer support is provided by peers, for peers. It’s a system consisting of individuals with similar experiences who encourage and assist each other on their path towards healing.

Funeral Professionals Peer Support was founded on key principles such as respect and shared responsibility. It is based on the belief that people who have faced and overcome adversity can provide useful support and mentorship to others facing similar situations. Visit their website to find resources of support and meetings to connect with colleagues on the challenges you face everyday.

Sometimes, all you need is someone who understands what you are going through. FPPS has opened a Warmline connect one-on-one by call or text, available 24/7: 1-613-209-4527 (call or text)

Join a Meeting

Every third Tuesday, CANA hosts a meeting from Funeral Professionals Peer Support. These meetings are open to anyone who serves their communities during some of their worst moments, providing care to the grieving. That includes everyone from the front office to the back room, chapel to gravesite, suited to coveralls — and everyone in-between. As a peer support meeting, all are invited to share personal experiences and connect with people who understand what you experience everyday.

Read

From CANA's Cremation Logs blog, here are a few posts dedicated to self-care and the signs to look for in your own and your colleagues' mental health.

MANAGE YOUR STRESS, OR IT WILL MANAGE YOU!

Let me ask you a few therapeutic questions in the language of making this specifically for you and about you. This is where we start, because, like the funeral vehicles we drive, if we don’t keep ourselves fuelled, we cannot function. We do have limits and cannot run on empty. We risk shutting down in an effort to conserve our limited emotional, physical and intrapsychic energy. Read more...

COPING WITH A CAREER THAT CHOOSES YOU

It’s essential to remember that caregivers need someone to care for and listen to them. Not only do we navigate the emotion and reality that death brings to the families that we serve, but we also deal with the day-to-day struggles of the workplace, life outside the office, family, our own personal struggles and emotions. Work-life balance takes on new meaning as we try to not let the personal interfere with the lifepath that has chosen us in the death care industry. Read more...

THE ODD ONE OUT: HOW ISOLATION HURTS DEATH CARE PROFESSIONALS

I could imagine the funeral director I had shadowed that day going to a barbeque with a group of friends later that night. While the accountant could complain about the stress of tax season and the teacher could share stories about unruly children and disgruntled parents, he already knew that no one wanted to hear about his day at the funeral home. Even his spouse would not want to hear the details of his day. And so, he would have to keep it inside – like the thousands of other funeral and cemetery professionals who perform the same duties each day. Read more...

WE RISE TOGETHER

From that point on, I decided to not be quiet, but to be very open about my diagnosis. When I told my colleagues what I was dealing with, many of them said “Man, I am going through the same thing. I am tired, frustrated, and burnt out and I am thinking of leaving.” So, instead of staying quiet and only worrying about me, I reached out to a few friends and we decided to come together and organize the very first funeral service peer support group in the world. Read more...

SELF-CARE FOR FUNERAL PROFESSIONALS

Bereavement professionals such as funeral directors, embalmers, cemetery workers, crematorium operators, and their support staff may regularly engage with diverse, potentially psychologically traumatic events. These exposures can lead to a variety of mental health injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, panic disorder, and alcohol use disorder. Recent research has provided important information about those experiences, such as the scope of the challenges, the potential impacts on mental health, factors impacting health, and some of the opportunities to help protect mental health and provide support. Read more...

COVID-19 COURSE ADJUSTMENTS

Funeral professionals have a challenging job under normal circumstances; these are not normal circumstances. Covid-19 has simply turned the world upside down. As a psychologist who works with funeral homes and also works in one, I want to offer several suggestions for dealing with the additional stress created by the current epidemic. Read more...

Watch

Prefer to watch and listen? CANA's free webinars provide useful information on recognizing stress and burnout and finding healing and recovery from challenging times.

HEALTH FOR THE HOLIDAYS: SELF-CARE WEBINAR FOR FUNERAL PROFESSIONALS

The holidays can be the biggest strain on our profession with shorter days, family obligations, and a job that doesn't recognize the change in season. Combined with a global pandemic and a surge in cases, taking care of yourself and your colleagues is more important than ever.
Our expert presenters share strategies to address the challenges you’ll face on the front lines during the winter months. Watch the recording...

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BOUNCING BACK AFTER COVID-19: STRATEGIES TO HEAL AND THRIVE IN LIFE & BUSINESS

The coronavirus pandemic created significant disruption to funeral services. Funeral professionals now have an opportunity to reflect and rebuild their business and their personal lives. Dr. Troyer reviews specific strategies to heal from the challenges of the pandemic and emerge stronger and better prepared for future challenges. Watch the recording...

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Tools

We're highlighting a few places where you can find practical resources to help you meet the needs of your job while staying grounded.

US CDC: Tips for taking care of yourself

Responding to disasters is both rewarding and challenging work. Sources of stress for emergency responders may include witnessing human suffering, risk of personal harm, intense workloads, life-and-death decisions, and separation from family. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention put together a page to support stress prevention and management which is critical for responders to stay well and to continue to help in the situation. There are important steps responders should take before, during, and after an event. To take care of others, responders must be feeling well and thinking clearly.

Finding Resilience

Funeral professionals' work is often rewarding, but can come with unique challenges and stressors. Homesteaders has collaborated with Dr. Jason Troyer to create Finding Resilience resources to help you cope with difficult situations and find the joy in the important work you do to serve your community.

Resources

These organizations are just some that can provide trustworthy resources for mental health across North America.

• Anxiety and Depression Association of America
  ADAA works to prevent, treat, and cure anxiety disorders and depression.
• American Psychological Association
  APA promotes the advancement, communication, and application of psychological science and knowledge to benefit society and improve lives.
• Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies
  CACBT-ACTCC increases access to knowledge and training about CBT and promotes education about CBT to the Canadian public.
• Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment
  CIPSRT-ICRTSP helps current and former public safety personnel, their leaders, and their families to maintain and improve their mental health and well-being.
• Canadian Mental Health Association
  CMHA provides programs and resources that help to prevent mental health problems and illnesses, support recovery and resilience, and enable all Canadians to flourish and thrive.
• Canadian Psychological Association
  CPA advances research, knowledge and the application of psychology in the service of society through advocacy, support and collaboration.
• Health Canada
  Support for those in crisis, including Indigenous peoples, veterans, Canadian Armed Forces members and federal employees
• National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  The National Center for PTSD advances the clinical care and social welfare of America's Veterans and others who have experienced trauma, or who suffer from PTSD and stress-related disorders.
• Psychology Matters
  Psychology Matters provides a wide range of services to treat many of life's challenging mental health issues, such as depression, relationship difficulties, addictions, health challenges, trauma and loss.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
  SAMHSA leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the US. SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.
• Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
  The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies is dedicated to sharing information about the effects of trauma and the discovery and dissemination of knowledge about policy, program and service initiatives that seek to reduce traumatic stressors and their immediate and long-term consequences.
  

If you or someone you know is in crisis and considering suicide, do not wait to seek help.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) in the US: call or text 988 (or chat)
Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (or text 45645) 

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, reach out to these support programs:
Funeral Professionals Peer Support Warmline international: 1-613-917-8057 (call or text)
SAMHSA in the US: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
Wellness Together in Canada: 1-866-585-0445

This information cannot replace information from a mental health professional. Always consult a qualified professional about your physical and emotional health.