Conscious Grieving Retreat
Join me for an in-person grief retreat and give yourself the opportunity to explore and heal your loss through conscious grieving.
Join Us
Give yourself permission to step away from every-day life for the opportunity to explore and understand your losses, find affirmation for your grief, connect with others, and allow space for self-inquiry, personal growth, and lasting healing.
In this four-day, three-night grief retreat you will gather with others in a safe space where you can bring all of yourself and all of your grief. Together we will learn more about how loss and grief affect our lives, relationships, and sense of self. Through gatherings, exercises, activities, and body work we will find solace and self-compassion and also the inspiration to cultivate hope, grace, and new awareness within the realm of grief.
Allow yourself to open up to the deep power of grieving as a path to true healing and transformation.
“With wisdom and grace, Claire Bidwell Smith navigates the mysteries of grief to show us that there is great meaning and even magic to be found in exploring the unknown.” — Maria Shriver
Who is This Retreat For?
This grief retreat is for anyone seeking healing and growth following the death of a loved one.
This intimate group of participants will be a diverse group of men and women from all over the U.S. and Canada (and sometimes from overseas) who have lost someone to death at various ages, and from many different causes.
If you feel ready to examine the impact a death has had on your life and if you feel the calling to explore ways to grow and transform as a result of your loss then this retreat is right for you. You will leave the experience feeling less alone, deeply understood, and profoundly transformed.
Conscious Grieving Retreats do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, or marital status in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all participants.
Historic Ralston White Retreat
Location & Accommodations
The Conscious Grieving Retreat will take place at Ralston White Retreat in Mill Valley, California, a beautiful nature-based setting surrounded by private hiking trails and just minutes from the shops and restaurants of downtown Mill Valley. Our group will have exclusive use of the historic house and property for the duration of the retreat.
Guests stay together in the large historic retreat center reserved exclusively for our group. Most rooms are shared, with a variety of layouts throughout the house. A limited number of private rooms are also available, including some that may be suitable for couples, friends, or family members attending together.
Because of the historic nature of the property, rooms and bathroom arrangements vary and are not uniform in the way a traditional hotel might be. Most bathroom and shower facilities are shared, including private rooms.
A Day Guest option is also available for those who live nearby or would prefer to stay offsite, though staying onsite often allows for a more immersive retreat experience.
We will do our best to honor accommodation requests whenever possible. Private rooms are available for an additional fee. For questions about rooming, accessibility, or accommodation needs, please reach out directly to Lindsey at support@clairebidwellsmith.com.
Both San Francisco Airport and Oakland Airport are accessible by Uber/Lyft. Parking is available onsite.
Source: henryhautau.com
“I thought grief was about time, but it is about space. The Conscious Grieving Retreat offered me that dedicated space where I felt seen, acknowledged, and supported. It also revealed that I could carry that space within me. The whole experience went beyond my expectations.”
Maïté from Alberta
What’s Included?
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All meals and accommodations
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An initial consultation with Claire
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Grief-centered support, gatherings, and activities
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Catered, healthy meals and snacks from Thursday evening through Sunday morning
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Gentle yoga and movement (no experience necessary)
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All retreat grief materials
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Access to a private online group for pre- and post-retreat support
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Follow-up Zoom Gathering two weeks post-retreat
Please Note: At least six months should have elapsed since the time of your loss to best meet your bereavement needs. Participants must be 18 years or older at the time of retreat.
General Schedule
Day 1:
5:45 pm – Welcome Gathering
6:00 pm – Dinner
7:00 – 8:30 pm -Story-Sharing Circle
Day 2:
9:00 – 9:30 am – Coffee & Breakfast
9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Morning Gathering*
12:30 – 1:30 pm – Lunch
1:30 – 3:30 pm – Afternoon Gathering
3:30 – 6:00 pm – Free Time
6:00 – 9:00 pm – Dinner and Evening Gathering
Day 3:
9:00 – 9:30 am – Coffee & Breakfast
9:30 – 11:00 am – Yoga & Movement Workshop
11:00 am – 12:30 pm – Morning Gathering
12:30 – 1:30 pm – Lunch
1:30 – 3:30 pm – Afternoon Gathering
3:30 – 6:00 pm – Free Time
6:00 – 9:00 pm – Dinner and Evening Gathering
Day 4:
8:30 – 9:00 am – Coffee & Breakfast
9:00 – 11:00 am – Final Gathering
12:00 – Checkout
*Each gathering will include a variety of activities and exercises including story-sharing, journaling, guided meditations, and more.
Meet the Facilitators
Claire Bidwell Smith is a therapist, renowned grief expert, and the author of five books: Conscious Grieving, Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief, The Rules of Inheritance, After This: When Life is Over Where Do We Go? and Anxious Grief: A Clinician’s Guide to Supporting Grieving Clients.
Claire offers numerous online programs for grief in addition to working with people one-on-one. Led by her own experiences with grief, and fueled by her work in hospice and private practice, Claire strives to provide support for all kinds of people experiencing all types of grief.
Claire’s five books of nonfiction have been published in 19 countries, and received many accolades and critical praise. In addition to having given dozens of talks on grief, Claire has written for and been featured in many publications including The New York Times, Scientific American, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, CNN, The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, and Oprah Magazine. She was also the host of Lemonada Media’s popular podcast New Day. Learn more about Claire’s work at www.clairebidwellsmith.com.
Angela Schellenberg, MA, LMHC, LPC, LPCC is a licensed trauma and grief therapist practicing in California, Washington, and Arizona. She works with grief where it actually lives, in the body, the nervous system, and the deep roots of early attachment.
Angela uses attachment-focused EMDR, Narrative Therapy, DBT, and Equine-Assisted Learning in her work. She has taught at the Omega Institute, led mother loss retreats alongside Hope Edelman, and is a trained Mother Hunger® Facilitator under Kelly McDaniel. Angela also leads a Healing with Horses Somatic Grief Retreat in Malibu, where horses become mirrors for the nervous system, picking up on what we carry before we even know we are carrying it.
She came to this work personally, having lost her mother to mental illness and her father to gun violence before she turned 22. That experience is what called her to the place where grief, attachment, and trauma meet.
Angela joins this retreat as the trauma therapist. She is here to offer you something most people were never given: a real understanding of what grief does to your nervous system, and concrete tools to help you finally work with it instead of against it.
Learn more about Angela’s work at www.angelaschellenberg.com
Barri Leiner Grant is a grief specialist, author, and founder of The Memory Circle for grief and loss support. Her work bridges beauty and healing, exploring ways to remember and reflect on the lives of loved ones and loss in all its forms—through writing and meditation.
She is the creator of Permission Granted, a widely read Substack newsletter that invites readers to navigate loss with honesty and tenderness.
Barri serves as a writing specialist, offering tools and techniques for grief tending. She guides participants in accessing and expressing what may be waiting beneath the surface, creating space for reflection and meaning-making.
Barri looks forward to helping retreat participants explore ways to remember and reflect on loss and the lives of loved ones through writing and guided meditation. She will also provide guidance on how to continue a writing practice throughout your grief journey.
Learn more about her work at www.thememorycircle.com
Kelsey Moro is a Board Certified Dance Movement Therapist and Yoga Teacher who specializes in Grief. Her approach to the grief process emphasizes the mind, body, spirit connection, and incorporates physical movement exploration. Kelsey’s Flowing with Grief practice invites individuals to connect to their bodies and their grief through movement, breath, and sound in order to shift and release any pain or suffering that may be stored in the body. She is the founder of Riverbend Grief Movement LLC, a private practice located in Syracuse, NY where she supports adults who are grieving.
Kelsey will lead retreat participants in gentle yoga and movement workshops. She looks forward to providing an intentional space where we can attune to our bodies, our grief, and the season we are in… ultimately connecting us to our hearts, our spirits, and our people who have died.
Learn more about Kelsey’s work at www.riverbendgrief.com
*Facilitators are subject to change. Participants will be notified of any changes.
Natasha Sizlo is an author, grief coach, and forest therapy guide, as well as the founder of Wild Grief. Her work creates space for people to move with grief, reconnect with themselves, and discover healing through nature, community, and reflection. Drawn to this work through her own experiences of profound loss, Natasha brings a deeply personal and compassionate presence to those navigating grief.
After the death of her father and later the loss of her home in the Palisades fires, Natasha came to understand how deeply grief lives in the body. When words were not enough, nature became a refuge. Through time spent walking in the mountains, redwoods, and along the coast, she discovered the restorative power of the natural world. This path eventually led her to forest bathing, a practice that invites slowing down, awakening the senses, and making space for healing through the whole self: body, mind, and spirit.
At the retreat, Natasha will guide participants in nature walks and forest bathing experiences designed to gently support presence and connection. She looks forward to offering a grounding space where participants can be held by nature, honor their grief, and experience the quiet wisdom of the living world.
Learn more about Natasha’s work at www.wildgrief.com
Retreat Cost: $2850 (shared room)
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Includes all meals, snacks, lodging, and programming
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Private rooms may be available for an additional $300 (see registration form for availability)
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Does not include travel
Retreat Day Guest: $2000
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Includes all of the above except overnight lodging
Reserve Your Spot Now:
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A non-refundable $200 deposit goes toward the full retreat cost
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Private rooms are based on availability. Please note that all bathrooms are shared.
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Prior to the retreat, Claire meets with each participant via Zoom to get to know them, talk through the retreat in detail, and answer any questions.
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Payment plans are available at checkout through the popular buy now, pay later methods Klarna, Affirm, and/or Afterpay. Your options will be shown at checkout and may vary based on region and history.
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Please plan to submit full payment or begin your payment plan within 30 days of receiving your welcome email to guarantee your spot. All payments must be started by July 9th, regardless of registration date.
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See FAQs for a breakdown of the retreat fee
Space is limited! Registration ends June 30th or when spots are filled.
I cannot imagine a better grief therapist than Claire Bidwell Smith. She has the ability to wrap her deep psychology background and understanding of frameworks for dealing with grief in an intimate and soft discussion that makes the client feel incredibly well supported. Perhaps as a result of her own losses, she becomes a partner in going through the process of grief with the person experiencing deep loss, and not just a medical professional. As a result, she has significantly advanced my ability to brave the storms of grief and even to see some of the beauty that it yields as well. I am forever indebted. — Jaime, Los Angeles
There’s something to be said about being in a room filled with people who understand what you’re going through. Nobody has it better or worse – you’re all here mourning your person/people while Claire and the other Grief Wizards hold space for you. This retreat made me feel less alone and now I have 29 new friends in grief who “get it” and “get me”. — Jen, Chicago
I felt so nervous when I arrived, but soon I realized I had found my people. We all had different types of loss, but what we learned is the profound connection that conscious grieving affords us. I left feeling like I’d received 10 years of therapy – so much healing, new awareness, new skills, and a major shift in my grief. I was held in my grief with every detail taken care of. Now I know, I can’t change my loss, but I have new ways of moving through the world with it. — Audrey, Colorado
FAQs
The Conscious Grieving Retreat is open to anyone grieving the death of a loved one. During the retreat, we meet together as a large group and also break into small groups by type of loss for focused support. We generally have small groups for mother, father, child, spouse/partner, and sibling loss. Many retreat participants have experienced multiple losses — Claire and the facilitators work with attendees to adjust to individual needs. Please reach out to support@clairebidwellsmith.com if you have questions about your specific loss.
We understand that this is a meaningful financial investment, and we want to be as transparent as possible about what goes into creating this experience.
This retreat is intentionally designed to be far more than a place to stay—it is a deeply held, carefully curated container for grief work. Every element is chosen with care so that you can arrive, exhale, and be fully supported.
Your registration includes:
- 4 days / 3 nights at a beautiful, historic retreat center in Mill Valley, CA, nestled in a peaceful natural setting designed to promote rest and reflection
- All meals, snacks, and beverages, thoughtfully prepared with nourishing, high-quality ingredients
- A highly experienced clinical team, including multiple licensed grief therapists and seasoned grief coaches, all of whom are present and available throughout the entire retreat
- A high staff-to-participant ratio (6 staff for ~25 participants), allowing for individualized attention, emotional support, and care that simply isn’t possible in larger or less-resourced settings
- Dedicated behind-the-scenes support staff, ensuring that everything—from meals to room needs to personal requests—is seamlessly taken care of so you don’t have to hold anything while you’re here
- Daily programming and therapeutic experiences, including guided grief work, reflection, connection, and optional practices like yoga and time in nature
- Thoughtful details and comforts, such as welcome gifts, journals, and small touches designed to help you feel held and cared for
- A brief Zoom meeting with Claire prior to the retreat to get to know each other, talk through the retreat in detail and go over any questions and follow-up group Zoom gathering two weeks post-retreat to check in with each other
The majority of retreat costs go toward the venue, meals, and fairly compensating a highly skilled team of professionals who bring years—often decades—of experience in grief work.
There are many beautiful retreats in the world, but spaces that are both clinically grounded and deeply human—where you are supported not just logistically, but emotionally, psychologically, and relationally—are rare.
Our intention is to create a space where you don’t have to manage anything, perform anything, or carry anything alone.
Approximately 25-28 guests participate in each retreat. We find this number works well for large group interactions while still allowing for individual connections among participants. During the grief retreat, we meet together as a large group and also break into small groups by type of loss and for different exercises.
We understand that taking time away for a retreat requires planning and we do our best to schedule retreats several months in advance while navigating Claire’s speaking and writing schedule. Please join the mailing list to be the first to know when new retreat dates are released!
No other retreat locations are planned at this time, but we believe the historic Ralston White Retreat is a special location and worth the journey! Surrounded by the Redwoods of Northern California, the retreat property is a completely private oasis for our group yet only ten minutes from the charming town of Mill Valley, CA and close to two major airports (SFO and OAK).
If travel is not feasible for you, we encourage you to reach out to local or regional resources. Claire has a wide network of trained grief professionals across the country and beyond… click here to explore the Professional Directory.
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Up to 60 days prior to start date: 100% refundable minus $200 deposit
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Up to 30 days prior the start date: 50% refundable minus $200 deposit
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From 21 days to the start date: non-refundable
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We suggest you purchase travel insurance when you book airline tickets to avoid flight cancellation fees
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Organizers reserve the right to cancel the retreat up to 21 days before start date if minimum enrollment has not been achieved. You would then receive a 100% refund of the registration fee.
Yes. We provide vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options for all meals. A refrigerator and microwave are available for guest use should you choose to bring additional snacks or alternatives.
Please see “Retreat Cost” section for payment plan information and payment deadlines. Reach out to support@clairebidwellsmith.com with additional questions.
Prior to the retreat, Claire meets with each registered participant via Zoom to get to know them, talk through the retreat in detail, and answer any questions.
If you have additional questions, please reach out to support@clairebidwellsmith.com and a member of Claire’s team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Losing someone you love can be overwhelming and grieving is often lonely. Finding the right support can change all of that. Find resources at clairebidwellsmith.com