Grief Retreats in Lisbon

It’s time. Time to grieve. Time to remember. Time to mark a significant anniversary or milestone after the death of someone you love.

Time to step away from everyday responsibilities and create space for yourself.

Whether you’re visiting Portugal specifically for this experience or will already be in Lisbon, I offer private, personalized grief experiences designed around you, your story, and what you’re carrying.

Many people find me while searching for grief retreats in Portugal or grief retreats in Lisbon. What I offer is a little different. This isn’t a group retreat with scheduled workshops, yoga classes, or shared meals.

Instead, it’s a private Curating Grief® experience for one person — or occasionally a couple, family, or close friends — who want dedicated time and space to tend to their grief in a thoughtful, creative way.

Rather than following a fixed itinerary, every experience is thoughtfully curated around your story, your loved one, and what feels most important right now.

Together, we might spend time in conversation, visit meaningful places around Lisbon, work with treasured belongings or photographs you’ve brought with you, create a simple ritual, or simply make space to pause, reflect, and remember.

No two experiences are alike.

After my mother died unexpectedly in 2013, I leaned into my creative instincts to guide myself through grief. My background as a curator shaped how I approached loss, meaningful objects, memory, and living a meaningful life.

Today, I help people engage with grief through conversation, creativity, ritual, and the thoughtful curation of what matters most.

I’m originally from New York City, and I love being in Portugal.

After leaving my hometown of New York City, Lisbon became a place where I slowed down, paid attention differently, and began imagining a life that could hold both loss and beauty. (And gosh, my mom would have loved visiting.)

That experience continues to shape my work. The loveliness of Lisbon and Portugal doesn’t take grief away. But sometimes a different landscape helps us notice something new.

Whether we’re walking beside the Tagus River, sitting quietly in a neighborhood café, visiting a museum or gallery, or finding a peaceful place to pause, the city itself becomes part of the experience — not as a tourist destination, but as another way of seeing and being.

(And yes, there may be Portuguese pastries along the way.)

Grief doesn’t stay at home when we travel. But our everyday routines, responsibilities, and familiar surroundings can sometimes make it difficult to hear ourselves clearly.

Stepping into a different place creates just enough distance to notice what has been waiting for your attention. It doesn’t change your grief, but it may change how you meet it.

After my mom died, trips to Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, France and more helped me to experience my grief (and my memories of her) in an entirely different way.

Curating Grief® — A creative and compassionate approach to engaging with loss.

Part of the Curating Grief® ecosystem — visit The Grief Gallery® for community and creative witnessing.

Get in touch: Email hello@charlenelam.com

Note: Coaching and coaching consultations are not a substitute for counseling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, mental health care, substance abuse treatment, or other professional advice by legal, medical or other qualified professionals. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, contact 911 or your local emergency services.

© 2025 Charlene Lam · Curating Grief®, The Grief Gallery®, The Grief Studio™ and My Grief Gallery™ are trademarks of Charlene Lam. All rights reserved.  Terms of Use | Privacy Policy