FAQ
What are your office hours? Where do we meet?
I have a virtual office and maintain client hours:
Tuesday and Thursday: 11-8
Friday: 11-5
Saturday: 11-2
At Healing Hearts International, I am currently working virtually.
All sessions are conducted on a Zoom platform.
I will send you a Zoom link each week via email.
How do I make an appointment?
Please reach out by phone or complete the Contact form in the footer.
How long is a typical session?
Most sessions are 50 minutes, and some are 80. I will always let you know ahead of time.
Do you accept insurance?
No. I am an out-of-network provider, because The Grief Recovery Method is educational, not therapy.
However, there are many therapeutic effects from this work: peace of mind and heart, better sleep, a calm state of well-being, etc.
Can I cancel an appointment?
Yes, of course! Kindly advise me 24 hours in advance of your appointment. That calendar space has been reserved for you.
If you cancel in less than 24 hours, there will be a full session fee charge.
What if I'm late to an appointment? Can we still have it?
Sure. We simply will be in session for the remainder of the time that was scheduled for you. Session full fee still is applicable.
What is the best way to be in touch with you?
Simply complete the contact form below, and I will be in touch within 24 hours.
How do I complete paperwork and pay you?
Online payment will either be sent to you directly or in your program package with our coaching agreement.
What happens in your complimentary initial phone consultation?
The initial phone consultation provides both of us an opportunity to talk, without expectation, to see if we are a good fit to work together.
I’ll ask some questions about what you’re experiencing and how you are currently coping with your problems as a result of your loss.
This ensures that I may be able to help you in your healing process.
Can I use my cell phone for online sessions?
Yes, but there are some additional considerations when using a cell phone. It is important to have access to a landline during our session in the event of a lost cell phone connection. A second cell phone will work as long as it is on a different network than the primary. The second issue is that the small screen may not provide the optimal support experience.
Is online consultation as effective as in-person?
What can I expect in the first session?
Great question! Once you are fully registered with payment complete and coaching agreement signed, I will send you our handbook that we’ll utilize as well as a homework and reading assignment that we’ll discuss in our initial session together.
I will also be asking you more in-depth questions about your relationship so that I can be the greatest support to you from my expertise with grief and loss.
Do I have to tell you everything?
Of course not!
However, my goal is to support your courageous intent to heal from loss with as much good information as possible.
I am unable to guide you toward problem solution if I am unaware of something that is problematic for you!
Tell me more about the Grief Recovery Method program.
The Grief Recovery Method is a short-term, seven-week program. It offers a safe and compassionate experience for grievers to take effective and lasting action for any kind of loss that you have experienced.
We’ll work together on one loss at time. Many of my clients choose to continue their sessions post seven weeks. They often seek Alumni work (working together on another loss) or life coaching – and often, both.
What I mean by “Alumni” work is that grief is cumulative… Commonly what happens is my clients realize that the work we are doing together is bringing up lost hopes, dreams, and expectations of yet another past loss, as well. When they choose to work with me on another loss, we call this “Alumni” work.
Is our work confidential?
Yes, our work is confidential.
I ask at the beginning of our program for you to give me an emergency contact so that in case of anything unexpected during our journey together, I know how to contact you.
If you told me that you had any intent on hurting yourself, it would be my responsibility as a Specialist to connect you with a mental health professional who has the resources to support you.
What is the age of clients with whom you work?
Each of my clients is over 18.
What are the risks and benefits?
RISK: The potential risks of the Grief Recovery Method are (and are not limited to), feeling worse during the program by re-experiencing painful memories and emotional discomfort and confusion.
POTENTIAL BENEFITS are (and are not limited to) a calmer emotional state of well-being, acceptance of others’ emotional support while grieving, moving beyond loss to a place of resilience, and fond memories of a loved one.
The steps offer an empowering emotional toolbox for a lifetime which can be emotionally supportive in your future with any other loss.
The Grief Recovery Method has been proven, from the research at Kent State University’s College of Public Health, to be significant in the changes that participants have received in their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors about grief.
Other benefits might be improved outlook, mood, and functioning; sleeping better and more soundly; increased insight and judgment; a greater sense of flexibility in their relationships; a release of anxiety and fear about the future; and personal growth and healing.
Many of my clients tell me that they now experience their memories of their loved one as being warm and fond memories instead of painful as they were formerly.
Many clients report a greater sense of calm in their everyday life and a loss of desire to engage in alcohol, drug use, or food as a way to deal with emotional pain.
Finally, many state that they have joy restored in their lives again, as well as hope for their future and peace of mind in their everyday life.
How long has the Grief Recovery Method been available?
The program has been taught for over 41 years.
Where is the Grief Recovery Method taught?
The Grief Recovery Program originated in the United States. It has been taught internationally in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Honduras, and Scandinavia.
How did the grief recovery program begin?
The founder of the Grief Recovery Method is a gentleman named John James.
John was a Vietnam vet who became a proud father of an infant boy. He experienced devastating loss of his infant three days after birth. John was in such great emotional pain that he read voraciously to find out what to do about his pain… he only found books which told him various definitions of grief. He knew well how he felt; what he needed was a pathway out of his pain.
John was so despondent that he contemplated taking his own life. He was a vet who still owned a weapon. He stood on a pier in Santa Monica contemplating ending his life. Then he had an epiphany and sat down to begin his journaling about his loss.
Slowly a program emerged.
John began to write down all the things he wished had been different or better or more about his son’s loss. He wrote, too, about all the hopes, dreams, and expectations that he had for life with his precious boy that now he would be unable to experience with him.
John had a partner for decades, the late Russell Friedman. They worked together for approximately 40 years. The work that they accomplished was so respected that at the time of our national tragedy of 911, they were called to the Pentagon to provide counsel about grief and loss. At the time of the Katrina disaster, again their expertise on grief and loss was called for by state officials.
What losses can I work on?
All losses are welcome. In our culture, we think of loss only as death or divorce. There are actually over 40 types of loss that we can each experience in a lifetime!
Here’s a snippet: Did you move more than twice before the age of 10? Do you currently have unresolved emotional communication with a living person? …a brother, sister, husband, wife, in-law, employee, employer?!
Have you suffered empty nest? Have you been married, separated, reconciled? Did you ever lose any part of the use of your body for any length of time?
Each of these loss experiences above, in our culture, are often not even approached as grief experiences.
What can I expect from our time together?
During each individualized session with me, you’ll be welcomed into a confidential, emotionally supportive, and nonjudgmental space where you will be able to share the truth of your story as it happened to you.
This is an action-based program with both reading and homework assignments (perhaps only an hour per week).
What you can consistently expect from me are open ears and an open heart ready to receive your story. I’m also available to respond and answer any logistics or other questions about the program between sessions.
If after seven weeks your desire is to continue to work together on another loss which feels unresolved as well, we can make that arrangement together.
One loss at a time.
What should I bring to class each week?
A notebook and a pen.
Do I have to attend every session?
Yes. If you miss a one-to-one meeting, you’ll be asked to re-schedule.
If you cancel in less than 24 hours, there is a full session cancellation fee, as I have not had enough time to fill the slot you paid for in advance.
If you cancel in front of 24 hours, no fee!
Is there a test at the end of class?
I’m smiling because if you’re wondering about this, then you and I are both recovering perfectionists!
No, there is no test! You have already passed it with your courage to show up! However, if you need a grade, then I will give you an A!
How long have you been in practice?
My career spans 25 years in the healing art. I began counseling in 1990 as the Eating Disorders Group Counselor at an extended residential treatment center for women with alcohol/drugs/eating disorders.
I have worked with hospice patients and families for 12 years. In my Marriage and Family Therapist internships, I worked with families, children, individuals, and couples.
In early 2017, I became Certified as a Specialist with Grief Recovery and then chose to earn an Advanced Certification so that I can be of service across the nation in virtual classes.
Eventually my intent is to work internationally.
What are your strengths as a specialist?
My strengths include considerable and diverse life experiences; among them, an inordinate amount of personal loss.
I know the heartache of failure from divorce as a young woman. I comprehend well the very unique journey that it is to become emotionally close to a widower. I understand the creation and blending of families while comprehending how difficult it is for grown children who are grieving the loss of a parent to easily accept the arrival of a new love in an existing parent’s life.
My clients tell me that I am empathetic, insightful, intuitive, open, patient, and flexible. They also thank me for being what one described as “a velvet hammer” – that I am both direct and soft, concurrently. I have an ability to accept feedback with grace, and I welcome it. I also am told that I possess a sense of humor to carry me through the tough times.
What do you enjoy about being a grief recovery specialist?
I am passionate about my work. I am filled with gratitude for the unique toolbox that the Grief Recovery Method offers each of my clients. This is an empowering, step-by-step action program with transformational results.
What is possible is that you will learn how to process any grieving experience in your future in a loving and self-supportive manner after our work together is completed.
And… if you choose to ask for my service in the future at any time, we can make that happen!
I receive great fulfillment from witnessing my clients’ emotional healing so that they restore both joy and hope again in their lives after loss.
Do you personally have counseling or therapy?
Yes! I actively pursue my own self-care and emotional regimen which includes personal therapy and continued coaching from other Grief Recovery Senior Specialists. I am committed to lifelong personal and professional growth.
What is your educational background?
I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from San Francisco State University.
My Master’s in Counseling Psychology was earned form California Baptist University. My counseling internships were earned from several California treatment or counseling centers for a total of approximately 4,500 clinical hours.
I earned both my certification as a Specialist with the Grief Recovery Method as well as my Advanced Certification from the Grief Recovery Institute in Bend, Oregon, respectively in 2017 and 2019.