Twentieth-century U.K. novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch once wrote that “the bereaved cannot communicate with the unbereaved.” Grief can have intense physical and emotional effects on people, from nausea and increased blood pressure to changes in memory and behavior. Knowing how to help a grieving person can be difficult, but Rev. Julie Platson of Sitka believes that communicating with the bereaved is not only possible, but essential for healing.

Platson will visit Wrangell’s St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on April 29 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. to offer a workshop on the needs of grieving people...