The rollercoaster of emotions that comes along with having a medically complex child is an inherent part of the “job”. Orley Bills, the Harley-loving social worker in the Rainbow Kids Pediatric Palliative Care team, spends his days supporting said parents while their children are hospitalized at Primary Children’s Hospital.
Sometimes he does this by utilizing his training as a certified grief counselor and LCSW and helping them sort through the hugely painful emotions that arise. Other times he gives parents a break from the heaviness and just chats about superhero movies. Regardless of the mode, Orley takes his job of supporting parents very seriously.
In this episode, Orley shares a few of the gems he’s picked up in the past 13 years in that role. He shares the necessity of creating a care plan to guide us in decision making for our children. We also chat about leaning into the painful emotions instead of stifling them, to cope with them in a healthy way.

For comments, pictures, question of the month, and more, visit the website: Ep. 33: It’s OK to be Angry, w/ Orley Bills, LCSW | The Rare Life (therarelifepodcast.com)