LIke many people, my professional path has been influenced by my personal experiences. I have been impacted by death much of my life. My birth father died when I was two. This was followed by a close friend when I was fifteen. Then, my mother when I was thirty, which absolutely quaked me.

In my mid thirties, three more close losses- back to back. My childhood best friend, a sweetheart I had known since Kindergarten and a dear neighbour (who I found and performed CPR on) all died within months of each other.

Most recently I lost my beloved step dad and my precious doggy, Milly.

Each death has been its own galaxy, and yet somehow every new loss built upon the last.

I became more interested in the grieving process the more I went through it. As I put my life and my self back together, time and again, I paid close attention to what helped and what hindered.

I began to study grief extensively. I built on the foundation of my education in Psychology by immersing myself in course work, trainings, certifications, literature, and studying the work of leaders in the field. I continue to work and volunteer in many capacities with both the dying and the grieving.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Penn State University in US

• Facilitator: The Art of Grief Care at Byron Bay Community College, Aus

• Trained as a Deathwalker with the renowned Zenith Virago in Australia

• Course work through Zen Hospice in San Francisco

• Mentor at Camp Erin, a camp for grieving children in Santa Cruz, US

• Mentor and Facilitator at Camp Magic, a camp for grieving children in Sydney, Australia -regarded as Australia’s leaders in childhood grief

• Volunteer , board member and facilitator with Amitayus House Home Hospice Service in Northern Rivers, Australia

• Frequent facilitator with the international online platform called Let’s Reimagine