Healing the Loss Grief Retreats
Restore~Replenish~ Rest~ Reset
Grief Retreats
Loss and change can be exhausting. When you are trying to continue with everyday life, often while caring for others, it can be difficult to absorb what has happened and understand the impact of grief on your life.
Many of the people I have the honour to support share the same feeling: they need time to grieve, to heal, and to replenish what loss has taken from them.
After experiencing profound loss in my own life, I longed for a gentle place where I could slow down, reflect, and speak openly about my grief. I needed nourishment of many kinds: compassionate conversation, beautiful surroundings, good food, rest, and the freedom to choose activity or solitude.
Grief retreats offer that kind of space.
These retreats are designed to give you time to step away from the pressures of daily life and focus on caring for yourself while navigating grief and loss.
You will find space for acknowledgement, validation, and compassionate support, along with practical tools that can help you understand and navigate your grief.
Who is this retreat for?
Grief retreats are available for individuals experiencing loss of any kind.
This may include people grieving the death of a loved one, those experiencing accumulated losses and life changes, caregivers supporting loved ones with illness or disability, healthcare professionals and first responders who carry the emotional weight of caring for others, or anyone who feels the need for time away to reflect, restore, and begin healing.
These retreats are not group programs. Each retreat is customized to your individual needs.
You may choose to meet with me daily or spread sessions out over time, depending on what best supports your process.
Retreats will be completely customized for your individual needs. You will have as many sessions with me as needed, daily or spread out over time. I offer online and in-person retreats. These are not group retreats.
What does an Online Retreat look like?
Online grief retreats allow you to create your own retreat space anywhere in the world.
After an initial conversation about your needs and availability, we schedule Zoom sessions that support your time of reflection and healing.
Many people choose to stay in a quiet location such as a hotel, cabin, or retreat space where they can step away from daily responsibilities and focus fully on themselves.
During your retreat time, we meet for scheduled sessions that provide grief support, compassionate conversation, and practical tools for navigating loss. The rest of your time is yours to rest, reflect, walk, write, or simply be.
This option is available worldwide. Do not let distance be a factor.
Where is the In-person retreat located?
In-person grief retreats are located in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Mahone Bay is a small historic coastal town known for its peaceful atmosphere and natural beauty. With a population of approximately one thousand people, the town offers a quiet and restorative environment.
Beaches, forest trails, restaurants, shops, and wellness services are all within walking distance. The town is located approximately 12 minutes from the UNESCO World Heritage town of Lunenburg and about 15 minutes from Chester, Nova Scotia, and roughly 90 minutes from Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
The natural surroundings, proximity to the ocean, and slower pace of life make this region of Nova Scotia a deeply restorative place for reflection and healing.
Grief retreats in Mahone Bay offer a gentle space where you can step away from everyday demands and focus on understanding your grief, caring for yourself, and beginning to move forward with compassion and support
How does an in-person grief retreat work?
An in-person grief retreat offers you the opportunity to step away from everyday responsibilities and focus on your healing in a peaceful environment.
Before your arrival, we will have conversations to discuss your needs, preferred dates, and what you hope to gain from the retreat. Together, we will plan a schedule of grief support sessions that fit your timeline and allow space for rest, reflection, and restoration.
During your retreat in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, you will meet with me for private grief support sessions designed to help you explore your loss, acknowledge what you are carrying, and learn practical tools for navigating grief.
Where you stay during the retreat is entirely your choice. Some people prefer a quiet Airbnb where they can cocoon, rest, and spend time in solitude. Others choose a bed and breakfast where they can share a meal and have gentle interaction with others. Some prefer the privacy and amenities of a hotel.
Outside of our sessions, your time is yours to use in whatever way feels most restorative.
You may wish to rest, walk along the nearby beaches, explore local trails, or spend time in the small coastal towns surrounding Mahone Bay. Some people enjoy spa treatments or other gentle forms of self-care. Others prefer quiet reflection, journaling, or simply time in nature.
The intention of the retreat is not to fill your days with activity, but to create space for restoration. This is a time to slow down, listen to what your heart needs, and focus on what may help replenish you after loss.

Each grief retreat is customized to support your individual needs and pace.
Please contact me and we will create the best Grief Retreat for you.
Testimonials for Grief Retreat
" I attended one of Hilary’s retreats six months after losing my eighteen-year-old son in a terrible accident. I spent almost two weeks working with Hilary in Canada. That time was restorative and refreshing, and I was moved by the levels of empathy and validation that Hilary demonstrated. I feel as though I left behind baggage that had been holding me back, while also reclaiming pieces of myself that I thought were lost with my son. Although I will grieve the loss of my son for the rest of my life, my retreat provided me with tools and created the internal space I needed to carry the pain of this loss."

N.P.
Houston, Texas
Being from a distance away, Unity, Saskatchewan we in nature are hesitant to reach out for help. I cannot express enough how glad I did. Hilary is so patient, helpful, understanding down to earth in working with every aspect needed.
She makes you feel safe.
We will continue to meet through Zoom, but I did travel to Nova Scotia to spend a week of sessions with her. If you are able to travel to Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia it’s a quaint historic little town.
In closing, please reach out to her and ask for help.
“You are the key to your healing"
D.S.
Saskatchewan
When I decided to go to Nova Scotia, I was skeptical. It felt like a whim at a time when I easily could have avoided the overwhelming indescribable feeling I would later learn to call complex grief. I went for understanding, space, and help as I was sinking in loss and dissonance. Taking some days to focus on myself has never happened in my adult life, and to be honest, probably never before. I am fortunate I was able to afford this time, counseling, and opportunity. I highly doubt the result would be the same if I never went. Spending time with Hilary was the difference. Face-to-face conversations, releasing tears, and creating connections allowed me to understand what grief is, how it impacts my life, and start to heal Spending time on the beaches breathing in the salt air, walking through the woods, exploring small towns, and enjoying the different lifestyle of Nova Scotia provided my heart and soul space to breathe. It is an investment I will never regret and highly encourage anyone who is able to do it. It created an amazing relationship that supports the follow-up work done via Zoom.
S.E.
Seattle, Washington
This grief program has been transformative for me. With Hilary's help I have discerned several patterns in my life that relate back to my initial loss at a very young age, and for the first time I've been able to understand why I have felt the way I feel or had certain reactions to events all my life. What I have really appreciated about Hilary herself is how perceptive, wise, and direct she is. She is able to get straight to the heart of the matter without tiptoeing around the issues or complicating them, and that has helped me to see and express a lot of things clearly for the first time. I feel like I can actually grieve now in a way that is right for me and the honest acknowledgment of that grief, instead of being frightening, is freeing and empowering. I highly recommend working with Hilary to help with grieving. Her program is very much worth it.
A, Ottawa
My time with Hilary Scott was life changing. She's perceptive and kind. Hilary knows how to see past the pain and all the 'other stuff' and really get to the heart. I enjoy my online sessions with her, but in person retreat sessions are incredibly meaningful. I will definitely be back in person, in the future!"
C, New Brunswick
My experience with Hilary has been an incredibly positive introspective about myself. I learned how my past experiences and traumas have shaped my decision-making behaviors in my current relationships. Hilary has a great way of helping me understand where and why my behavioral patterns stem from, but also how to move forward and free myself from feeling "stuck". I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to travel to Nova Scotia for a few in-person sessions, in addition to the online ones. It was so lovely to meet and connect face-to-face. We also went for a delicious dinner together :) Thank you Hilary for opening up my mind and heart!
S, Toronto
Having the opportunity to experience a grief retreat with Hilary’s guidance, was exactly what I needed to understand the magnitude of my loss. I had been preoccupied with the tasks associated with multiple family deaths and I needed a protected space and time, to allow me to focus on these losses and acknowledge their impact on me.
Hilary provided a gentle, yet directed pathway, so that my decision making was minimal while I was there…my job was to feel, process the losses in an intentional way and begin shifting the weight of the grief. I spent five days in Mahone Bay and I was terrified to leave. The safety that had been created in that short time was powerful and I was concerned that my life would return to the busyness of before, and that my healing would be suspended. That didn’t happen! Hilary and I continued the work online and it has worked beautifully.
Hilary has the ability to share her own life story, weave segments perfectly integrated with deep knowledge, and as a result; create trust and the belief that we can carry grief differently going forward. Embarking on this journey has been the most loving act I have ever done for myself.
CGB
"After my mom passed away from an illness, I found myself incapable of feeling joy, hope or motivation. I was struggling with sleep, anxiety, depression and needed something to help pull me out of this rut I found myself in. My sister-in-law referred me to Hilary and her grief retreat and after reading up on the experience I knew it was exactly what I needed. I travelled from Ontario and spent a week in the most peaceful Airbnb in Mahone Bay, focusing on being present and taking time to be alone in the beautiful town. During my retreat, I had daily sessions with Hilary and from the moment we met I knew she was the missing piece to my grief puzzle. She was instantly warm and welcoming, very grounded and down to earth. I connected with her instantly and felt very safe and heard. Hilary was able to help put my thoughts, feelings and trauma into a new perspective and helped me discover why I was feeling the way that I was. I left Nova Scotia feeling refreshed, grounded and hopeful. Saying goodbye was the toughest part but Hilary has stayed in contact with me and is there for me when I still need to reach out. She was born to help people! I am so grateful I found her."
BVM
