Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation
Is a non-profit organization inspired by the life of psychiatrist, humanitarian, and hospice pioneer Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.
Healing Through Grief
Alternative, Holistic & Creative Approaches Series.
“We need time to move through the pain of loss. We need to step into it, really to get to know it, in order to learn.”
“Grief is not just a series of events, stages, or timelines. Our society places enormous pressure on us to get over loss, to get through grief. But how long do you grieve for a husband of fifty years, a teenager killed in a car accident, a four-year-old child: a year? Five years? Forever? The loss happens in time, in fact in a moment, but its aftermath lasts a lifetime.”
– Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Grief Support
Information on collaborative partners and resources we support.
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Latest Projects
EKR Singapore / Southeast Asia
- The EKR Foundation is excited to announce our latest international chapter in Singapore (SE Asia)
- EKR South East Asia has already initiated two fellowship programs to teach medical professionals essential end of life training in these countries: The Philippines; Assam & Kerala, India; Nepal; Indonesia; Bangladesh; Timor Leste; and Lebannon
- In February 2023 and 2024, Green Pastures Hospital in conjunction with EKR Southeast Asia held a 2-day palliative care conferences in Pokhara, Nepal.
EKR France
- They run ongoing mutual support groups for many different types of bereavement, such as those who’ve lost someone to suicide, those who have lost a spouse or a child, and children who have dealt with loss
- They hosted three conferences, in 2018, 2019, and 2022 on all types of grief, such as loss of a spouse, loss of a child, and more
- They run an ongoing group for people in mourning: mourning coffee
- They run coloring workshops for anyone of any age who’s grieving
- They offer support to business who have had employees who have passed
EKR Guatemala
- They are addressing systemic hunger by distributing MANNA Packs and infant formula
- They give Safe Birth delivery kits to expectant mothers
- They donate prenatal vitamins and infant formula to new moms
- They’re building an EKR Foundation Respite Center in Guatemala City, literally from the ground up
- They donated reading glasses to 125 seniors in Rio Dulce
- They donated a modern dental patient exam chair with accompanying dental instruments to a local hospital
- They donated monthly vitamins to Birth Doulas (as much as 60 pounds of vitamins per month)
The Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation — Global
THE FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF ®
Alongside the well-known stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, Kübler-Ross detailed other “stages” such as shock, partial denial, preparatory grief (also known as anticipatory grief), hope, and decathexis. She also acknowledged other emotional responses including guilt, anxiety, numbness & other emotions.
identify
The first step in the journey through grief is identifying the emotions and experiences you are facing. By recognizing and naming these stages—Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance—you gain clarity and a sense of direction in your healing process.
Creativity
Grief often opens the door to creativity as a form of expression and release. Whether through writing, art, music, or another creative outlet, you can transform your emotions into something meaningful, giving voice to the feelings that words alone cannot capture.
Feeling
Allow yourself to feel each stage fully. Grief is not a linear path; it's a deeply personal experience. Embracing your emotions, without judgment, enables you to process the pain and move toward healing.
Innovation
From the depths of grief, innovation can emerge. This stage involves reimagining your life and creating new ways to honor the past while moving forward. It’s about finding strength in your journey, inspiring change, and contributing to the world in new and profound ways.
Meet the Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Ken Ross, son of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, is the founder of the EKR Foundation (2006) and President (2006-2013 & 2018-Present).
Joan Marston is based in South Africa and is presently an International Children’s Palliative Care Consultant with PaCCHI – Palliative Care for Children a Humanitarian Imperative; also ICPCN Global Ambassador for Children’s Palliative Care and Director of Education and Development for Sunflower Children’s Hospice in South Africa.
Dr. M.R. Rajagopal is an anaesthesiologist-turned-palliative care physician from Kerala, India. He is currently chairman of Pallium India and director of Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences (TIPS) which is a WHO Collaborating Centre for Training and Policy on Access to Pain Relief. The organization works at the national level in India and has its headquarters in Trivandrum in the state of Kerala in South India.
Stephen R. Connor, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the London, UK-based charity, the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA), an alliance of over 400 national and regional hospice and palliative care organizations in over 100 countries worldwide. Dr. Connor has worked continuously in the hospice/palliative care movement since 1975 and has been the CEO of four US hospice programs.
Ms. Spada brings over two decades of knowledge, thought leadership, and experience to address corporate challenges with collegial creativity, exceptional insight, and razor-sharp intellect. Ms. Spada is a highly valued catalyst for change that visionary leadership relies upon again and again for out-of-the-box thinking to benefit future planning, complex project management, transaction structuring, and business transformation.
Dr. Rothweiler, daughter of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross MD, is a licensed psychologist, with board certification in neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology. In addition to conducting neuropsychological evaluations, she provides consultation liaison services, specializing in medical rehabilitation, but also hospital wide, including palliative care and hospice.
We envision a world where all people and their families can have a dignified life even when approaching death and are supported with compassion while dying — by family, friends, the community, and healthcare providers who embrace all of life including death.