Dr. Mayumi Purvis - Bayside Counsellor and Dignity Therapist

The term legacy commonly refers to something that is handed down. A legacy emerges from our recent or distant past, or the past of those before us. It can take the form of a bequest, but can also refer to knowledge and wisdom being handed down in the form of a technique, advice, or a particular set of beliefs and values.  

In the case of a Soul Story, your legacy will take the form of a uniquely prepared document. It’s like a letter from your heart, not a life history, and it will only include photos if you want them. I can also help you arrange other personal legacy gifts, such as pre-arranged cards for special upcoming events (for example, the first baby to be born in the family, a 21^st birthday card, or graduation congratulations), or any other individualised future gifts.

You. Family. Friends. Future generations.  

Some people engage this service for themselves, as they wish to give a legacy gift to their family and friends. Sometimes a family will arrange this service for a loved one whose words and memories they value immensely.

• Our lives are full of twists and turns, near-wins, close calls, errors in judgement, triumphs and stories of great adventures and daring. All of these life gems combine to tell an exquisite story about a person and are full of wisdom, lessons, hopes, dreams and messages of love. These stories form our own personal and precious legacy.

During audio recorded sessions together (usually between one – three), you will be supported to explore and reflect on your life. These sessions will be transcribed, collated and edited into a coherent story, all under your direction and according to your preferences. You can include and exclude whatever you like, as you will always be in complete control of your story.

Don’t worry; if you need help working out what to say, I have all the questions we need to get started and to help you find your most precious memories and messages.  Sometimes the questions are all we need, sometimes they create new avenues that we can travel down and explore.  Either way, I will carefully support you and respectfully guide you through this process.

I’ll come to you. It doesn’t matter if you’re at home, in hospital or in an aged care facility. If you’re very far away, I can interview you online or via telephone. I will transcribe and edit in my private office. All interviews and document preparation are highly confidential.

There are multiple sessions involved in creating a Soul Story legacy gift and these vary in duration depending on individual needs.  Overall, the whole process is completed within one – two weeks.  Shorter timeframes are sometimes possible depending on availability.

The underpinning model of this type of legacy work is called Dignity Therapy, and was developed by Dr Harvey Chochivov, Canadian Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Manitoba Palliative Care Research Unit.  

Dignity Therapy has been shown to facilitate very positive shifts in people’s sense of meaning and purpose in life and has been found to lower anxiety and depression in palliative clients.  Further, recipients of Dignity Therapy also report feeling as though their dignity is strong and intact, even though they’re facing many challenges associated with aging or poor health. Finally, documents such as legacy gifts have been found to support the bereavement journey of loved ones.

The overall cost of a Soul Story Legacy Gift depends on the number of sessions required to satisfy the client, but as a general guide: 

All good stories start as a conversation, so we’ll have an initial 30-minute chat over the phone at no cost.