Quinlan Hospice bereavement counselor honored for 2005 work

Newton - Lorri Opitz, bereavement counselor at the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice in Newton was recently named the 2005 Bereavement Counselor of the Year by the N.J. Hospice & Palliative Care Organization. She received her award at the organization’s annual dinner held at the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel. The dinner was attendend by hospice professionals from throughout the state. Opitz, who holds a master’s degree in counseling, has worked for the hospice for nine years, offering individual counseling to adults and children at the bereavement room in Newton and also at the Joseph T. Quinlan Bereavement Center in Hackettstown. In addressing the highly specialized needs of grieving children, Opitz offers bi-annual art therapy classes for children, as well as Camp Connections for teens who have lost a loved one. Together with the hospice chaplains, she organizes annual memorial remembrance services attended by hundreds who gather to honor their loved ones. She also coordinates the annual “Walk to Remember,” bringing parents together to walk in memory of a lost child. “In receiving this award, Lorri brings a great honor to Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, as she does each day in the course of her work,” declared a statement issued by the hospice. “Her colleagues know her to be a wonderful, caring person as well as an outstanding counselor, and all offer their congratulations.” “I consider Lorri a guiding force, in helping with cases, and in normalizing the process of feelings,” says Diana Sebzda, bereavement director. “She is just so approachable, as a counselor, and as a person.” Cecelia Clayton, executive director of the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, adds, “Lorri’s depth of compassion, empathy with grievers, and willingness to sit with them as they work through their grief, speaks to and enhances her ability to help them heal.” Each year the statewide organization selects exceptional hospice individuals from director, counselor, volunteer and nursing teams to recognize at their annual dinner, both for their skills and their dedication to patients and families. Lorri Opitz’s selection as the 2005 Bereavement Counselor of the Year caps a career of caring service. A client, who Opitz counseled through a difficult mourning period, declared, “I am honored to be a part of her great achievements and wish her much more success in her own journeys.” For information on bereavement counseling or hospice care, call 800-882-1117.