Grief Professional Directory
Get support from a professional trained by Claire Bidwell Smith.
The professionals listed in this directory are graduates of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief and Loss: A Comprehensive Training Program. They are not employees of Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC nor do they work directly under her supervision unless specifically stated in their listing. Each professional in this directory is responsible for the services they offer and Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC cannot be held responsible for their actions.
Find a grief professional
United States
Julia K. Morin
New Hampshire / virtual
ABOUT:
Julia Morin is a writer, a Certified Grief & Loss Provider, Certified Grief Educator and Grief Support Specialist, and the face behind the Instagram community @girl_meets_grief, which she launched over Mother’s Day weekend in 2021.
Julia is a childhood grief survivor who lost her mother suddenly and tragically nearly 30 years ago when she was eight years old — less than one week after Mother’s Day — and has experienced a number of other losses in her life.
She is fiercely passionate about normalizing conversations and ending the stigma around grief, as she continues to navigate the various manifestations of this significant early loss in her own life. She is especially passionate about work around mother loss and childhood loss, as a result of her lived experiences. Her approach to grief support is rooted in the belief that grief, like love, lasts forever — and while we never “get over” it or “move on,” we can learn to move forward with it, live alongside it, and integrate it into our lives.
Having recently completed her third grief certification, Julia plans to start taking on 1:1 grief support coaching clients as well as facilitating grief support groups.
Julia’s writing on grief and mental health has been published by ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’, ‘The Mighty’ and ‘The Manifest-Station’ among others, and she has been a guest on podcasts including ‘Got Grief,’ ‘How to Grieve’ and ‘Daughters Without Moms.’
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Julianne Furniss-Green, LCSW 
Connecticut
ABOUT:
jfg therapy aims to normalize grief, provide support, and create community. The foundation of my private practice is built upon my personal and professional experience with grief and loss. jfg therapy provides virtual individual and group therapy for teens ages 16+, young adults, and adults.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Amy Doman
Amy Doman, Certified Grief Coach, offers coaching that is unique to your situation. Living with the loss of her mother in her early twenties and recently becoming a motherless-mother, she has been unfortunately reminded how society still has a lot of work to do in the grief space.
She realized during her journey that motherless-mothers need more support before and after delivery of their baby. OBGYN’s and Pediatricians need more education around how to communicate to their patients that are in grief dealing with loss. This journey led her to coaching about grief.
Amy is a certified grief coach, certified substance abuse counselor-assistant (CSAC-A), and a graduate from George Mason University in Organizational Health Management. She is a graduate of Dora Carpenter’s From Grief to Gratitude Coach Certification Program IOPGC. In addition, she has graduated from the Grief Training program for mental health professionals and coaches with emphasis on mother loss. She has also volunteered for Hope Edelman’s book launch of “The After Grief” about the long arch of grief. Amy’s work has been featured in Washington City Paper and is a guest contributor on blogs about grief and loss. Amy is a featured coach on the From Grief to Gratitude website.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Angie Larned, Ph.D
I have 20+ years as a psychologist helping clients with anxiety, depression, grief/loss and relationship conflicts. I work with adolescents, college students, adults and couples who are struggling with life’s challenges or feeling stuck. I offer a non-judgmental, empathic space where we can sort through your emotions/worries and help you gain new perspectives & coping skills so that you are better able to gain clarity, build resilience and work toward your goals and objectives. With my certification as a Health/Wellness Coach, I offer a holistic perspective to understand/guide you through emotional, cognitive and wellness struggles
I have found success using CBT, narratives, psychodynamic, strength based psycho-educational and interpersonal approaches to therapy — helping clients with anxiety, depression, grief/loss, relationship issues, trauma, health/wellness and managing stress. I have worked extensively with individuals in creative/artistic fields.
Feeling safe, supported & understood in a non-judgmental, therapeutic relationship is essential for you to express and change what’s bothering you. I want to help you gain clarity & figure out what is important to you and for your life. We will collaborate, tap into your strengths and apply new knowledge and self awareness to achieve insight and growth.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Barri Leiner Grant 
New York, NY / virtual
ABOUT:
Barri is a Certified Grief Coach offering 1:1 client support and dedicated grief support groups.
She explores ways to remember and reflect on the lives of loved ones lost and loss of every incarnation, through writing, intuition, dreams, and meditation to navigate the long arc of loss.
She specializes in workplace grief support and therapeutic writing workshops. She is the founder and Chief Grief Officer of The Memory Circle
“My workshops and gatherings are bathed in a variety of exercises and modalities to release and metabolize what we are holding — while always keeping the spirit and celebration of those lost and loved, alive.”
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Clare Duplace
Asheville, NC / Virtual
ABOUT:
English speaking; She/Her pronouns; Creative grief practitioner; MA in Mindfulness Studies; Bereavement and end of life doula; After death care/home funeral guide; end of life celebrant; Contemplative care; Creates grief and bedside companioning kits (trained herbalist and flower essence practitioner); Poetic medicine facilitator; Legacy supporter; Narrative medicine; Grief educator
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Karen Gurian, MD, ACC
McLean, Virginia / virtual
ABOUT:
I am a retired OB/GYN physician and now work with clients as a certified life coach and grief educator. I integrate my knowledge from the loss of my mother during childhood with my personal and professional experiences in obstetrics. As well as coaching motherless daughters, I coach people whose reproductive stories haven’t gone as planned. This includes infertility, complicated pregnancies, postpartum stress, abortion, adoption, miscarriage and stillbirth. I offer support to those struggling with both new and old grief. My coaching is client led, compassionate, and a safe place for difficult emotions.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Sheila Jordan, M.Ed
Charlottesville, Virginia / Virtual
ABOUT:
For more than 20 years, I have worked with children and families in a wide variety of educational, clinical and in-home settings. I have a BA from the University of Virginia, a Master of Special Education, and I am also a certified Parent Coach through the Jai Institute for Parenting. In addition, I am a certified Lifestyle Coach through the Emory Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Most importantly I am certified by Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman in Grief and Loss with an emphasis on Mother Loss. I collaborate with parents to build actionable, realistic daily strategies to achieve their mental, emotional and physical goals while navigating various kinds of grief, one step at a time. I guide parents toward gaining greater insight into themselves so that they can continue to experience a strong connection to their loved one in the process. By better understanding your own needs, you can better focus on those around you, but let’s take care of YOU first!
Graduate of the Grief & Loss Training Program and Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Kelsey Sawyer BC-DMT, RYT-200
Syracuse, NY / Virtual
ABOUT:
Kelsey received her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Dance/Movement Therapy from Lesley University in 2019. Since then she has worked at multiple grief organizations across the country facilitating individual and group grief support services for children, teens, and adults. As a Board Certified Dance Movement Therapist, Kelsey can approach grief in a unique way due to the incorporation of movement and emphasis on the mind body connection that her work entails. Kelsey is also a 200-hour certified yoga teacher and received her Advanced Grief Yoga® Teacher Certification with Paul Denniston to further her exploration of the embodied elements of grief through movement. Most recently, she has had the opportunity to join Claire on her in person retreats where she shares her Flowing with Grief movement practice that allows retreat participants to engage in grief processing through the body. Kelsey is the founder of Riverbend Grief Movement LLC, a private practice in Syracuse, NY where she continues supporting children, teens, and adults who are grieving. Kelsey offers both individual and group grief support, as well as weekly Flowing with Grief practices.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program and Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Philadelphia, PA / virtual
ABOUT:
I am a certified grief coach and masters-level social worker who specializes in providing individual and group grief support to fellow motherless mothers.
I facilitate online 6-week motherless mothers support groups.
I also provide grief support to motherless mothers through 1:1 virtual coaching sessions.
“My mom died several years ago and raising kids has been challenging without her. This group helped me work through my grief. Hearing other’s stories made me feel less isolated/alone in my grief experience. Thank you Susanna for this supportive, safe space to really delve into this difficult topic!”
“Susanna led a beautiful, non-judgmental dialogue for our group each week. She helped us all tap into our individual stories so that we could move forward in our grief while also nurturing common threads so we didn’t feel alone. It was such a wonderful, easy process and I feel so connected to the other women in our group!”
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Teresa E. Doniger, LPC 
Washington, DC metro area / virtual
ABOUT:
I am a mixed race multicultural psychotherapist with more than 15 years of experience working with children, teens, and adults. I currently work with people who are 18+ years of age. I have worked in various settings from community mental health organizations, to group practices, and I currently own and operate a private psychotherapy practice (Cura Counseling, LLC) based in Washington, DC. Keywords that influence my work are vitality, thriving not just surviving, and insight. I am especially passionate about working with people who are bereaved and who have a desire to maintain connection and bonds with their deceased loved ones.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Allison Lindsey Durant
New Orleans, LA / virtual
allison@neworleansgriefcenter.com
ABOUT:
I have a passion for providing safe, supportive space for individuals grieving as this was not my experience when I lost my mother almost 40 years ago. Through compassionate and active listeners, we are likely to feel more accepted along our grief journey.
I offer support groups specific to early mother loss as well as general grief groups and intensive day long retreats. Please refer to my website for more information. www.neworleansgriefcenter.com
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Cris Sanhueza 
Southeast
ABOUT:
Born in Chile, Cris Sanhueza is an artist and social worker who facilitates creative expression to support wellbeing. Through painting, writing, crafting, and collage workshops, grief support groups and helping professionals process feelings, reduce stress, build connection, and create meaning. Cris offers virtual and in-person workshops in both English and Spanish.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Jen Pines
Atlanta, GA / Virtual
ABOUT:
I am a Certified Life Coach and Energy Leadership™ Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP), as well as a certified grief coach. I am so glad we have found each other. I am a mom, wife, animal lover and endurance fitness gal with goals, yet I needed some help reaching those goals. I am here to guide you, help you gain results and reach those goals. We want an end result that aligns with our values. I have the tools and understanding to help you to gain insight into the life you see yourself living.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Pam Monjar, LPC-MHSP, NCC, CGP
Brentwood, Tennessee
ABOUT:
Grief and loss are part of my life’s story and what I know is that they are a story of the heart – it changes us. As a Certified Grief Professional, I offer individual, couple, and specific grief group therapy sessions. We start where you are and my role as a companion on the journey is to help unpack the impact of grief and loss. On the journey, we engage in storytelling, activities, and exercises to transform grief and create space to heal. Sharing our grief and loss story is the first step to repairing the pain of loss. I am passionate about helping others navigate what might feel like one of the most difficult times in their life.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss and Mother Loss Programs
Sacia Washington
Charleston, South Carolina
Sacia@guidedhealingclinicaltherapy.com
https://guidedhealingclinicaltherapy.com/
ABOUT:
Empowered by the tragic and untimely loss of her nephew, Sacia made a complete professional pivot from education into counseling. Specializing in grief and loss, supporting clients through the complexities of life, self-esteem issues, depression/anxiety, sexual orientation, gender identity, and relationship issues. She places significant focus on multicultural issues while working best with teenage, young and mature women as well as providing an affirming space for members of the LGBTQA+ community.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Courtney Bledsoe, LCSW
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
ABOUT:
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Perinatal Mental Health professional. My special areas of interest include perinatal mental health and grief and loss. I have a particular passion for working with motherless daughters and motherless mothers. I facilitate groups for new parents and am currently developing groups for motherless daughters/mothers.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Mandy Jankus 
ABOUT:
Mandy Jankus is a mental health coach, grief attendant, and human communication instructor who lives in the greater Chicago area. She’s certified in the curriculum of Dr. Brené Brown, which focuses on understanding shame, courage, and vulnerability.
In her work, Mandy helps people learn how to deal with what they feel. An advocate for emotional wellness, she guides clients through the process of recognizing and processing their emotions in a healthy way to achieve greater mental well-being.
She believes that pizza cures all, water heals, and conversations with strangers give that warm, fuzzy feeling. Mandy is mom to two littles and wife to an educator, and her family loves their two dogs and two guinea pigs (though Mandy still wishes for a goat).
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss and Mother Loss Programs
Miranda Malone, LCSW, CAGCS
ABOUT:
With nearly a decade of experience in the states of Wisconsin and New York, Miranda has managed to craft a realistic approach to therapy. Miranda’s goal is to provide her clients with the knowledge and skills necessary to create the lives they have always dreamt of living. Miranda offers a holistic individual therapy approach, welcoming and incorporating all aspects of the human experience: mental, physical, emotional and spiritual.
Miranda values the aligned therapeutic relationship and specializes in grief, mother loss, anxiety and trauma. Miranda assists her clients in managing physical symptoms such as racing heart, dizziness, panic attacks, racing thoughts, nausea, fatigue and/or emotional reactions such as helplessness, avoidance, hypervigilance, sadness, fear, anger, and grief.
As a therapist, Miranda is conversational, calm, open and direct. She prides herself on creating a comfortable yet energizing space for each of her clients. Miranda aims to improve her client’s life experiences, discover ways to develop clients’ strengths, and learn new skills and insight into how a client’s past may impact their present. Befriending death allows life to flow and your only responsibilities are to live and to die; what happens in between is your story.
Miranda currently offers individual therapy sessions in person at her office in Milwaukee, WI and virtually via Zoom. Miranda currently runs a motherless daughters support group in person in Milwaukee on the first Tuesday of every month from 6-7:30pm CST. Miranda will be offering an in person 8 week Mother Loss Process Group beginning Fall 2024.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss and Mother Loss Programs
Therese M. Grieco MA, LPCC
ABOUT:
I focus on Perinatal Mood Disorders (i.e. Postpartum Depression/Anxiety, Postpartum OCD, etc.), Grief/Loss, Relationship Concerns, Women’s Issues, Anxiety, and Depression.
Since losing my mother to complications of breast cancer when I was nine years old, I have a heart for helping people to integrate all grief/loss into their life in a positive way, while still feeling their feelings and being real.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss and Mother Loss Programs
Carla Harless, LMT, CPT-RES
Fredericksburg, TX / virtual
ABOUT:
I am a massage therapist and movement educator, not a grief therapist or counselor, but I have had numerous experiences with the deaths of beloved family members and friends and see the need for supporting those left behind. I believe that, like any other natural human process, grief requires movement so I provide movement practices along with self-care techniques to help tend to the physical aspects of grieving.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Dr. Olivia Wedel, LPC, NCC, LCDC, PMH-C
Grapevine, TX (DFW Area)
droliviaw@oliviawedelcounseling.com
ABOUT:
I’m a licensed therapist in Texas specializing in women’s mental health and perinatal mental health. One of my main specialties is the intersection of grief due to mother loss and postpartum/maternal mental health. I offer intensives (90-120 minutes) as well as more traditional therapy sessions (60 minutes). I do in person, virtual, and walk and talk sessions. I love helping women find moments of happy when things are hard. My office is a safe space for crying, laughing, and expressing any emotion and thought that comes up on the journey to healing. .
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Coming soon!
Angel Thomson, MS, LMFTA
Greater Seattle Area, WA
ABOUT:
Angel Thomson is a poet, musical being, and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Associate. She is a biracial Latina and first-generation college graduate. The draw to grief work came from experiencing the deaths and losses of 4 great grandparents, 2 grandparents, and a friend to suicide. She has a unique ability of holding conversations with care that leaves others feeling seen, heard, and understood. Angel is passionate about supporting women, and those of multicultural backgrounds and LGBTQIA+, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming identities.
Angel provides online individual and group therapy to Washington state residents
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Angela Schellenberg, LMHC
Redmond, WA / Virtual
ABOUT:
My approach to counseling is holistic, humanistic, and client-centered. I am trained in Trauma, Attachment, EMDR, Grief and Loss, and Sudden Instant Death. I work with you, and together, we create an individualized approach to counseling that supports your goals. My professional background is in Trauma, PTSD, Grief, Loss, and Early Parent loss. Anxiety, Depression. CBT, Family Systems Counseling, Narrative Therapy, Restorative Retelling, EFT, Matrix Reprinting, Multicultural Cultural Counseling, Feminist, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Since 2000, I have had the experience of living abroad as an elementary K-8 Certified teacher in Shanghai, China, Chiangmai, and Saudi Arabia. I specialize in trauma, EMDR, Individual, couple, child, teen, and family counseling. I work with people who have suffered a traumatic loss, grief, PTSD, early childhood trauma, complex trauma, grief, loss, anxiety, and depression. Motherless Daughters, Gun Violence survivors. I work with couples and families to help them with communication and relationships. If you are struggling with something in your life right now or have experienced childhood trauma, I hope that you know that you are not alone. Trauma can impact identity, self-esteem, and safety. This can make it difficult to regulate your emotions. We have to feel it to heal it. Together we will find tools that work for you. I offer a safe space and a strength-based narrative.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Los Angeles, CA / Virtual
ABOUT:
Chanel Brenner is a poet and author offering one-on-one grief support through writing. She began writing poetry when her older son, Riley, died of a brain AVM hemorrhage at age six. Writing became her lifeline. She believes everyone can benefit from writing to help process their grief and navigate life after loss.
She is the winner of the 2021 Press 53 Award for Poetry for her book, Smile or Else. She is the author of Vanilla Milk: a memoir told in poems (Silver Birch Press, 2014), which was a finalist for the 2016 Independent Book Awards and honorable mention in the 2014 Eric Hoffer awards. Her essays and poems have appeared in The Rumpus, Tahoma Literary Review, HerStry, Barrow Street, Literary Mama, Modern Loss, Mutha Magazine, New Ohio Review, Rattle, Salamander, Spoon River, The Good Men Project, and others.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Heidi Shaffer, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, MSM
Pierce County, WA
ABOUT:
Heidi has a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration. Her background is in Oncology Rehabilitation as an Occupational Therapist. She has a certification in grief therapy. Heidi’s passion is around grief and loss surrounding cancer diagnoses and treatment.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Jessica Treat, MA, LMFT 
Benicia, CA
ABOUT:
Hello! First off, I am sorry for the circumstances that have led you here. My name is Jessica, I too have experienced a great loss, and prior to that happening, I had no idea how different grief and loss is from depression, or anxiety, or trauma. I had no idea who would show up for me and who would not, I had no idea what I needed or wanted, and what I’d find the most comfort in. It is all the things, all the time. In my own path of healing, I can offer you a variety of approaches that we can discuss and decide on what you feel is best for your journey to heal. I am trained in EMDR, EMDR Flash, CBT, DBT, Emotional Resolution, Integrating Mindfulness into CBT for Self Compassion and Self Criticism, and of course, the lessons learned in integrating multiple techniques to address all the faces of grief in Claire Bidwell Smith’s training. Currently, I am in training for Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy with the Integrative Psychiatry Institute and have found a great deal of my own healing in Ketamine Therapy. My approach is warm, caring, flexible, and I do my best to hold my clients in support while also giving them the information and tools to help them in the direction they seek to go.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Lisa Kolbe-Beard
Hayward, CA / Virtual
ABOUT:
I’m a Martha Beck certified life coach, drawing from a series of challenges that fueled my journey of self-discovery. Losing my mother at 14 set me on a long path toward self-acceptance, leading me to discover my own identity and values. I learned how to face the fear of dying young like my mother did, and of leaving any children I might have without a mother. As a former divorcee who found my perfect match a few years ago, I also offer compassionate guidance to women who seek fulfilling and authentic relationships, particularly those who aspire to build a lasting union. My commitment to fostering authentic connections and empowering individuals drives my passion for guiding others on their own journeys of self-discovery and growth.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Mary Tabata, MS, MBA, ACC
Los Angeles, CA / virtual
ABOUT:
Mary is an ICF credentialed coach with special interest in life transitions, academic writing and research, leadership, and grief and loss. Mary brings her background in education, leadership development and values work, organizational change, and aging studies to bear on her coaching practice. A mother of five and an active member of the recovery community, Mary uses a collaborative coaching style in individual and group settings to help her clients achieve their goals. Come and get equipped with the insight you need to “phinish strong.”
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Michelle Michicoff, MSW, LCSW
Long Beach, CA
ABOUT:
I am a psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker who provides strengths-based, inclusive, and trauma-informed mental health care. I work in a range of specialty areas, including anxiety, depression, life transitions, women’s issues, relational issues, attachment, parenting concerns, and grief and loss, with a special interest for work with motherless daughters and motherless mothers. I wrote my Master’s thesis on the impact of early maternal death on adult daughters’ attachment dynamics. I am a Native speaker of both English and Spanish, and am happy to conduct our sessions in either language, or a combination of both, depending on your preference.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Sara King
San Diego, CA
ABOUT:
My name is Sara King and I have completed the coursework for a Masters in Counseling, but am not a licensed therapist (at least not yet). My areas of interest are grief, trauma (especially the emerging field of Developmental Trauma), Somatic Experiencing, attachment, and addiction- which I feel is one of the frequent places where all of these issues converge. I want to make grief, and “having feelings” in general, more socially acceptable and widely understood as part of the larger conversation about mental health.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Stephanie McWoods
Oakland, CA
ABOUT:
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who practices Holistic Healing. I am passionate about living a liberated, authentic, and joyful life, it is what my ancestors dreamed of for me. My hope is to join you in your journey of untangling trauma and grief, decolonizing your thoughts, attuning to your body, listening to your intuition and living your most authentic liberated life!
Groups are 6-8 weeks in length. They occur twice a year.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Theodora Blanchfield, AMFT 
Los Angeles, CA
theodora@shaktitherapyhealing.
ABOUT:
My name is Theodora Blanchfield, and I am a pre-licensed therapist who “gets” grief as both a therapist and someone who has experienced loss herself. My interests include working with grief and its intersection with depression and anxiety. As an adoptee who lost her adoptive mother, I’m particularly interested in working with those who are also dealing with that double loss. I also offer ketamine-assisted psychotherapy to help you access and process emotions that might be too difficult to work with otherwise. I strongly believe in the healing powers of the outdoors and movement, so walking therapy is another option.
I work in a kind, supportive way and incorporate a little humor when appropriate—there can be a real dark humor in the absurdities of life and death and it’s a great release! It is my goal to help clients feel that they’re not alone and everything they feel is valid—especially if other people in their lives aren’t making them feel that way. My approach is somewhat of a blend of CBT and psychodynamic—meaning, I like to give you tools to help right now as we get deeper. There are no quick fixes in therapy, but you’re coming because you’re in pain and you deserve some tools to deal with the pain as we work through it.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
International
Nova Scotia, Canada
ABOUT:
I am a mental health therapist with specialized training in grief and loss as well as many lived personal experiences with loss. I support clients at any age above 18 who may be struggling with anxiety, health anxiety, low mood, feeling disconnected in their life and relationships, feeling alone in their grief and/or who may be concerned about how their experiences as a child may be impacting their adult relationships.
I work with clients virtually in 1-1 sessions using a bio-psycho-social framework that allows us to explore and gain insight and awareness into all aspects of your life that may be contributing to how you are feeling, thinking and or behaving today. Together we can create a path forward toward clarity, meaning, and feeling better.
Video Sessions are available to clients in the following provinces – Nova Scotia, NFLD, PEI, Ontario, and Alberta. Direct Billing to most major insurance providers is also available if your private health insurance provides coverage for Social Work Services.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
ABOUT:
Hi, I’m Janice, clinical director of Your Road Forward a private practice in Ontario, Canada. I am not a stranger to facing difficult life transitions. As a teenager, I suffered the loss of my mother and as an adult, the pain of divorce. It is important to remember that these transitions are not what defines us but can become a catalyst for personal resilience and growth. I have found significant meaning in parenting my two daughters. My daily work as a therapist, helping people in our community, is also very rewarding. However, as my young adult children move forward in life I experience both feelings of delight and sadness as I transition into the empty nest stage of life. Each life transition has challenged my own search for meaning and purpose. One of the benefits of therapy is the bond that occurs between therapist and client. The strength of this bond will directly reflect in your progress and healing during therapy. When you find the right therapist and develop a trusting connection, it gives you a safe place and an objective perspective that differs from your relationship with friends and family. I look forward to the opportunity to become your therapist or connect you with one of our caring team at Your Road Forward.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Instagram @geborgentherapy
ABOUT:
I am a mental health therapist with a focus on supporting clients through life transitions. I specialize in perinatal and reproductive mental health as well as grief support. Many of my clients struggle with anxiety, depression, body image concerns, relationship stressors, and/or grief and loss. Many of my clients have also experienced trauma and are seeking support to feel more grounded, secure, and less impacted by their experience.
My focus in therapy is very relational and attachment focused, while also using tools and skills that are grounded in research. I often draw on psycho-education, relaxation-based strategies, mindfulness, and distress tolerance/ emotion regulation skills. I find that my clients appreciate a warm and empathic approach, as well as the opportunity to reflect and share in a non-judgmental space, feel validated and listened to, and learn skills that help them cope better.
As a motherless daughter and motherless mother myself, I am particularly drawn to support clients who have experienced grief and loss. This includes working with clients who have lost their parent, had a perinatal loss (e.g. miscarriage, stillbirth, early infant loss, etc.), and/or are navigating the journey to parenthood while grieving their own parent.
I support clients on an individual basis and also work with couples ( my couples work mostly focuses on supporting clients through grief and loss or the reproductive journey/ perinatal mental health concerns). I am planning on offering a group for motherless mothers in the near future and would love to hear from you if you’d be interesting in taking part in such a group.
Aside from my role as a therapist, I am a first-generation immigrant with roots in Germany and Iran. I speak both English and German. I am a mother to two young children and love the outdoors, being creative, running, cooking/baking, and learning.
Please reach out today if you’re looking for support on your grief and loss journey or with any other aspect of your life that you think I may be able to support you with.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Program
Vancouver, BC, Canada/Virtual
linda@lindaquennec.com
www.lindaquenneccounselling.com
ABOUT:
I work with highly sensitive, creative individuals experiencing challenges with navigating grief, depression, anxiety, or feeling a sense of being misunderstood. I work from a Jungian depth-oriented approach and also incorporate AEDP, IFS, EMDR and narrative therapy.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Tanya Barr, MEd, RCC
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
tanya@tanyabarrcounselling.com
ABOUT:
Tanya Barr is Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors, located in Vancouver, BC. She specializes in working with Anxiety, life transitions and grief and loss. She works from a client centered lens and believes that the therapeutic relationship is at the heart of change. Tanya has additional training in AEDP, EMDR, ACT and other modalities.
From both her professional training and personal experience, Tanya has a deep understanding of grief and loss. Having lost her mom as a young adult she knows first hand the process that comes with grief. Whether the loss is a recent one or from many years ago Tanya ensures that her clients feel respected and heard.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Riham Jarjour 
Egypt
ABOUT:
Born in Damascus-Syria 1979. Married, has 2 children, lives in Egypt B.A in Education M.A in Psychology Founder of Rihamiat Podcast: Empowering Arabic-speaking women around the world. Published “Naya And Friends” the first book in Arabic for teenage girls. An illustrated encyclopedia about Puberty and Menstrual Cycle Languages: Arabic \ English
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Silvia Lobina
Drogheda, County Louth
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss and Mother Loss Programs
Charlene Lam
Lisbon, Portugal / virtual
ABOUT:
Charlene Lam is a certified grief coach and curator of The Grief Gallery. She helps grieving people to deal with all “the stuff” after a loss, both physical and emotional.
After her mother died suddenly in 2013, Charlene leaned into her creativity and instincts as a curator to guide herself through grief. She developed her Curating Grief coaching framework to help people heal in a creative, accessible way.
Her training includes certification through The Life Coach School; Being Here, Human; and Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief and Loss program, as well as ongoing training through PESI and the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition. She holds monthly grief gatherings, delivers talks and workshops, and works 1:1 with select clients.
If you’re feeling burdened by responsibilities, regrets and resentments, she can help you to feel lighter so you can move forward with living your own fullest life.
Originally from NYC and now based in Lisbon, Portugal, Charlene works with clients worldwide via Zoom and Voxer, and in-person in Lisbon, including personalized grief retreats.
Graduate of Claire Bidwell Smith’s Grief & Loss Program
Become a Certified Provider
Join one of the nation’s foremost experts on grief, renowned therapist and author Claire Bidwell Smith, for a comprehensive online training program that will deepen your understanding of the grief process as you explore complex topics related to death with other professionals in an interactive learning environment. Gain the confidence and skills you need to guide clients through difficult loss. Learn more >>
Join Hope Edelman and Claire Bidwell Smith, two of the country’s most renowned experts on mother loss, for an interactive and insightful six-week training program. The Mother Loss Program equips mental health counselors with an in-depth understanding of grief and provides practical strategies for working with women who have lost a mother at any point in their lives. Learn more >>