Hi, I’m Beth Erlander,
your Grief and Joy Guide.

I’ve done my own apprenticeship to grief and come out the other side ready and passionate to help you navigate and befriend grief. I’ve risen from these ashes like a phoenix and I’m an example of this process.

Back in 2012, my life partner crashed his mountain bike, broke his neck and was thrust into a life of quadriplegia or paralysis from the chest down. Our life as we knew it stopped and we had to navigate so much. At some point along the way, I heard a voice that said-“Pay attention, this will come in handy some day.”

And that someday is now where I offer you tools that helped me. I use out of the box tools along with traditional psychotherapy modalities to help you come right side up again in grief.

I’m steeped in these healing modalities to serve you:

• I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado (LPC #4210)
• I’m a Creative Grief Support Practitioner.
• I’m an Art Therapist.
• I’m certified in Death and Grief Studies from the Center of Loss and Life Transitions.
• I’m an EMDR practitioner (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) because it helped me so much, I immediately learned how to use it with you.
• I’m a caregiver to my partner Michael and I can put on my unofficial CNA or nurses hat to care for him. In 2012 he crashed on his mountain bike and broke his neck. The result was quadriplegia or paralysis from the chest down.
• I’m a Cowry Shell Diviner taught by blessed memory Elder Malidoma Patrice Somé.
• I’m a Ritualist and Space Holder.
• I’m in year two of Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing training. I’m learning this new modality to bring you more support for your body through understanding how the nervous system works as it relates to the trauma of grief. 

I’m a full hearted creative human who is doing her best to balance the grief with the beauty in this modern world. I’m a cis-gendered female. I was raised Lutheran and come from a long line of ministers from Sweden and Germans who come from Russia. I’m currently learning more about my ancestors so that I can help you with your own ancestral grief. We especially need to do this here in these United States. I pray to Spirit everyday and connect to the elements while I place my feet on the ground below me to honor the ones who came before me on this Ute, Arapaho, and Cheyenne land. I try my best to steward this land and the black cat Slinky who adopted my partner and me. 

I used to call myself the Grief Freak because I was obsessed about researching everything I could about grief after my own loss. “Freak” to me meant someone who is passionate about something and for me that something was grief because I was in it and couldn’t get out of it. I had to surrender to it and befriend it. Eventually I came to realize that the word “freak” wasn’t the best name to describe what I do. The word freak has many meanings, and it’s not my job to change the way you view that word. Rather, my job is to change how you view grief. Grief is medicine. So I decided to be the Grief Friend instead. Yet I will always be that Grief Freak, because to be honest, grief can make you feel like you’re in a weird upside-down world. 

I now am calling myself the Grief and Joy Guide because true healing happens as we do the dance back and forth between our grief and moments of pleasure, beauty and joy. I help you navigate grief so you can BE with whatever is showing up for you.

So my friend, welcome, and again, I’m so sorry you’re here. In one way or another we’ll all end up in this grief club. Unfortunately, in today’s world more people will find themselves with this unwanted club membership. Lastly, if you want to know my full professional history and other life learnings you can view it here: curriculum vitae here. 

I humbly bow to you,

Your Grief Guide, 

Beth