Grief and Spiritual Support
About Me
The above Jung quote speaks volumes… usually when people introduce themselves, they say things like, “I’m a pilot and I work for ABC Corporation, live in XYZ Hills… great, but who are you really? Henri Nouwen says, “Spiritual identity means we are not what we do or what people say about us. And we are not what we have. We are beloved daughters and sons of God.”
So ultimately, I am an earth walker and precious child of God sent here to learn, grow, and help others. With this said, my skill sets, gifts, interests, and of course, divine direction, have lead me down the following paths.
In addition to my other credentials, I continuously attend conferences, seminars and continuing education programs to learn the latest in my field and expand my knowledge base and personal horizons. My desire is to be expansively trained in the trilogy realms of the body, mind, and spirit. I believe that all three are intimately integrated and all must be lovingly attended to for a person to be in balance.
My current scope of practice is grief counseling and education, and, spiritual direction. See the respective tabs for more detail on each.
Other areas of personal interest: Being in nature; traveling; animals; smooth jazz; writing (including poetry); comedy; spending time with family and friends, and continuous learning, both inwardly and outwardly.
"Please remember it is what you are that heals not what you know." – Carl Jung
Credentials and Background
RN – Registered Nurse Grace Hospital School of Nursing, a 3 year diploma program, Detroit, MI (where I was born and raised). I worked for many years in the emergency room.
BSN – Bachelor of Science in Nursing Wayne State University, Detroit, MI. This degree was instrumental in my becoming the Nurse Manager of a busy endoscopy center.
MEd - Master of Education Wayne State University; pursued for my love of learning and teaching.
MSW – Master of Social Work Wayne State University. It was while working for Detroit’s Veterans Benefits Administration as a RN that I became captivated by the mystery of the human psyche, mental health issues, resilience, post traumatic stress, grief and loss, and all the related ramifications and sequelae. I resigned from this position in order to attend the Master of Social Work program full time and learn much more in this arena. Post MSW graduation, I worked for a Detroit area hospice, companioning the dying, their families, doing bereavement counseling, and facilitating grief and loss support groups. I was home, doing the deep work with others that I was unable to do in my task-oriented nursing career.
CGRS – Certified Grief Recovery Specialist I obtained this certification while working with hospice, desiring to deepen my understanding and abilities working with this population.
Certified Spiritual Director As I worked with the dying and bereaved (courageous, amazing souls), I desired more training in the spiritual realm. I eventually decided on the 2 year Haden Institute program, which has enriched me beyond my imagination, graduating on April 24, 2016.