The work I do is Soul Work. It’s the sacred work of helping you live with the pain of grief, loss and trauma.
When loss happens, grief shows up as an unwelcome offensive smelly and dirty house guest. It takes up residence without asking for your permission. In my experience, grief never leaves, so the real work is to simply make friends with it and that process isn’t easy. Trust me, I’ve been there.
I consider this work to be sacred: grief work is soul work and soul work is slow work.
I’ve been called a grief midwife-guiding you through this wilderness so that you don’t have to do it alone. I’m with you in this liminal world, this weird space of pre-loss/post lost that is so visceral, painful and strange.
So I’m a guide and a coach; a grief companioner or grief friend.
My work is deeply informed by my own apprenticeship to grief for the past 8 years, along with my 23 years of psychotherapy practice. I offer an eclectic mix focused on helping you reconcile your current situation (reconcile=to make good again).
At this time I’m only able to offer remote sessions through Zoom or by phone.
Or we could get out of the box and meet for a walk and talk session.
Remote Grief Coaching/Companioning Work– Due to COVID19 I’m only able to offer my services through Zoom or phone. The good thing about this is that we can connect and work together regardless of where you live. These sessions fall under my coaching services as I’m only licensed as a professional counselor in the state of Colorado. (If you’re local you may use your insurance if I take it. Please see my FAQ’s to answer more logistics on using insurance or to learn more about the difference between therapy and coaching).
All my sessions include an eclectic mix of my formal training and my personal apprenticeship to grief:
Psychotherapy that is body-centered, this means that I will tune into my own body/nervous system as I also ask you to notice yours. We will trust your body’s innate wisdom, we may slow down and listen to this. Body-centered practice is bottom up, not top down. We may ask the brain to take a back seat for a while. You cannot think your way through grief, you must feel it.
Art Therapy is using the creative arts to gain more insight and understanding about your current situation. This could either be done during a session or sometimes I suggest you do this on your own outside of the work we do together. Actually, most of the “work” happens in between our sessions as you use the tips and tricks we discuss that are pertinent to your situation.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) An excellent modality that uses bilateral stimulation (eye movement, tapping right and life side of body) to reprocess trauma so that it doesn’t hijack your life anymore. And yes this can be done through online sessions.
Use of the Natural World– I try to bring in the elements (earth, air, water, fire, minerals, nature) as much as possible to support you in your path of reconciliation. For me nature has been a beautiful partner in my healing process. This could look like using one of more of the elements to support your healing.
Ritual: In this culture we are thirsty for rituals to mark our initiation into life post trauma or grief. I could help you craft your own personal ritual or I could be there to help you hold a community ritual. This work is deeply informed by my deep dives into the Dagara Grief Rituals I have done with both Sobonfu Somé and most recently with Malidoma Patrice Somé. Ritual can be especially healing when you are dealing with a loss that is not death centered as we need a ceremony to acknowledge the grief. (I found that non-death loss is very confusing in this Western culture).
Grief Coaching Packages: Sign up for my new grief coaching packages for 3 or 6 months. More info coming soon.
Additional Offerings and Events: These are on hold until we can gather in person again. However, I’m open to having small local grief gatherings. Reach out to me if you’re needing this.
Grief Rituals in a Retreat Setting: Hire me to craft a healing retreat that includes ritual. I am especially happy to come to you in your desired location.
Grief Art Installations: let’s create grief art in public or on your land in order to create more healing intention with grief.
Grief Walking Pilgrimages: I have offered these in the past and may not be doing this until the unforeseen future. There is currently an offering for a Grief Walk with my dear friend and co-leader of past pilgrimages, Rachael Sanborn. See more info at https://www.redmonkeywalkingtravel.com/walking-with-grief-on-the-camino-de-santiago.html or call me for more info. I am happy to talk about walking the Camino for grief reconciliation.
Grief Rituals at Festivals: I love bringing grief rituals to happy places such as festivals where grief often shows up. In the past I have done grief ritual at the Arise Festival. I am willing to come to other festivals to bring space, intention, and advocacy for the sake of grief. If we allow our grief to be acknowledged, we allow more space for love and joy to enter our lives. So there’s no better place that to offer grief ritual in the middle of a festival!
I am open to collaborating with other Artists and Grief peeps out in the world. Want to collaborate with me at a festival, contact me and let’s chat?
Want to hire me to come talk to your group, church or workplace about grief, call me and let’s chat.
Consultations: need help talking to your staff or other organization about how to deal with grief or how to help those who are grieving? Contact me to set up a consultation or hire me to speak directly with your team. I could even help your organization create it’s own specific grief ritual or ceremonial space.