Grief Coaching, Counseling, and Spiritual Direction

We Will Support You Wherever You Are in Your Grief Journey

We provide coaching, counseling, and spiritual direction for people experiencing the complicated grief that follows the sudden loss of a loved one. We are able to engage clients face-to-face in Phoenix, Arizona and surrounding areas. We can also conduct Skype and phone sessions in any time zone, regardless of location.

One-on-One Coaching

One-on-one coaching offers the opportunity to move through your grief at your own pace. It gives you the opportunity to receive focused, personalized attention to help you move through your grief so that you get the answers and resources you need at exactly the time you need them. Regardless of the cause of your loss, we work together to create a series of small steps that will positively impact your ability to experience joy and happiness once again. Having a coach by your side helps you identify healthy approaches to healing and recovery. You will be equipped with your own “owners manual” so that you have the ability to integrate you loss into your life in a meaningful and powerful way.

Grief Counseling

The purpose of grief counseling is to help individuals work through the feelings, thoughts, and memories associated with the loss of a loved one. Although grieving can occur for other types of loss as well (such as loss of goals, ideals, and relationships), grief counseling is generally directed toward positive adjustment following loss after the death of a loved one. Grief counseling helps the individual recognize normal aspects of the grieving or mourning process, cope with the pain associated with the loss, feel supported through the anxiety surrounding life changes that may follow the loss, and develop strategies for seeking support and self-care.

Spiritual Direction

Often times, survivors of traumatic loss face crises in their faith and have many questions about their relationship with God and their spiritual community. Some find themselves angry with God while others may develop a stronger relationship with God or the Divine and their spiritual community. In today’s worlds, spiritual direction is becoming an important pat of our life journey. A spiritual director will help you understand how you relate to God, how God is or is not present in your life, and will explore with you the spiritually based struggles that you face. Our spiritual directors are trained to be able to give direction to people from any denomination or religious background.

The Difference Between Coaching and Counseling

If you have questions about receiving coaching or counseling to help you on your journey, here is some useful information. This is not to suggest that one is better than the other, in fact they work well together. Both practices provide help and assistance to their clients.

How is Grief Counseling Different from Grief Coaching?

Grief counseling or psychotherapy focuses on emotional and behavioral issues with the goal of bringing the client to normal functioning. This is often focused on dealing with the trauma of the past, working through the emotions of the loss. We recommend that if you are a new survivor, you seek counseling as a first step in your recovery journey as you will have an unending web of emotions and many questions about your loss. Often times, a therapist or counselor is especially helpful for complicated grief when there are several hindrances to normal life functioning as a result of the loss. Counseling helps in alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression by removing baseless fears and better coping with the circumstances.

Coaching is a collaborative relationship to help you move forward, especially after a traumatic loss. It helps you map out a plan to address the “what’s next for me?” question. There are often many questions about what is next in life for them, how can they go back to the life they once had, how can they move forward? The goal of coaching is to help you move from wherever you are in your grief journey to where you want to be. As a client you play an active role in describing the life with new meaning that you may be aiming for. Coaches work with their clients to reach specific life goals that enhance their growth in the absence of limiting emotional difficulties.

Network of Professional Resources

Mediumship

Susan Grau
Melinda Vail

Spiritual Direction

Carole Whittaker, PhD
Jean Nictakis

Coaches and Counselors

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Jill McMahon

Jill McMahon, LPCLicensed Professional Counselor

Jill is a licensed professional counselor who has focused on working with Survivors of Suicide since 2003. She was first introduced to those bereaved by suicide while working for The Wendt Center for Loss and Healing in Washington, D.C. Jill says that she knew almost immediately that she wanted to focus her life’s work on helping Survivors. She appreciates the uniqueness and social stigma associated with this grief. Her goal is to provide a safe space for those struggling with this loss, and to help provide hope for those feeling confused, helpless and alone.

Jill provides local training on both suicide prevention, and Survivor of Suicide grief. She, and a co-speaker, have been invited to speak at the American Association of Suicidology national conference on several occasions, as well as the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention conference two years in a row. Most recently, she has presented as a speaker at the International Association for Suicide Prevention conference in both Norway and Estonia.

Annie Campbell, LPC

Annie Campbell, LPCLicensed Professional Counselor

Annie is a licensed professional counselor trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy-CBT, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy-DBT, Eye Movement Desensitization Processing-EMDR and Mindfulness. She works within each of these therapies to customize therapy to best meet the therapeutic needs and treatment goals of her clients. She specializes in support for those suffering from grief and loss.

Annie is passionate about her work and invested in her clients. She spends the time necessary with each client to give people the time and direction they need. She likes to teach skills to build strong foundations and so her clients can better process difficult events.

Marianne Gouveia, CPC

Marianne Gouveia, CPCCertified Professional Coach, Grief Recovery Specialist, Transitions Coach

Marianne has spent most of her adult life working as an executive in the aerospace industry. She left her corporate life to pursue a career as an Executive Coach. During her training, Marianne experienced the unthinkable and most horrific death of her youngest son Eric James. As she struggled to find peace and acceptance, she redirected her coaching practice to Grief Coaching, receiving certification in the Grief Recovery Method. She is the President and Founder of Insightful-Living, a coaching practice devoted to helping others work through loss and complicated life transition so that they may once again experience joy and happiness in their lives. She also leads retreats for a Catholic Ministry, Emmaus for Grieving Parents, welcoming grieving parents from all faiths on their spiritual journeys after the loss of their precious children of any age by any cause, no matter how long ago. You can visit their website at (www.emfpg.org)

Outside of her professional life, Marianne has personally experienced a number of life transitions encompassing career, business, loss of a sibling, loss of a child, loss of parents, a divorce, a Downs Syndrome child, a Downs Syndrome sister, and is a cancer survivor as well.

Spiritual Directors

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Jean Nictakis

Jean NictakisBA Communications, Spiritual Director, Student of Healing Touch

As a stay-at-home mother of three grown children and a wife of 33 years, Jean is now dedicating her time and energy to the service of others. Raised in the Roman Catholic Church, Jean ventured out to study all the world’s religions determined to find the commonalities among them. A natural progression led to the study of A Course in Miracles, Richard Rohr, and many other non-traditional spiritual outlets. Jean graduated from a one year study in Eastern Meditation from the Self Realization Fellowship and has found a spiritual home at The Franciscan Renewal Center in Paradise Valley. Currently, Jean is a Spiritual Director, a student of Healing Touch, and the less-significant part of an Animal Therapy team.

Carole Whittaker, PhD.

Carole Whittaker, PhDPhD, Chemistry and Enneagram Master

Carole Whittaker earned a doctorate in Chemistry at UCLA. Since retiring fron careers in teaching and science education and in agricultural businesses, Carole has been engaged in support adult spiritual growth. She has taught classes, led retreats, offered individual spiritual direction and developed programs at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Christian spirituality, contemplative prayer, personal development and faith formation.

Carole is certified through the Enneagram Professional Training Program with Helen Palmer and Davie Daniels as a teacher for the Enneagram of Personality Types. In addition to using the Enneagram as a teaching tool for exploring and enhancing personal development, Carole has developed and coordinated the presentation of an extensive curriculum of Enneagram programs for helping students understand and move beyond their personality type. For more information on Enneagram, click here The Enneagram Institute.

Mediumship & Healing

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Susan Grau, CADEC 11 Master Evidential Medium

Susan GrauIn the Light Services

Susan grau is an internationally recognized psychic medium based in Southern California who has been able to communicate with spirit from age four when she had a near death experience . She owns her own business in Tustin, CA called “In The Light Services”. Susan is a highly skilled Master teacher of the metaphysical arts. She speaks at consortiums, writers conventions and is a sought after lecturer at many healing events including the Orange County IANDS association where She speaks to groups regarding her connection to the other side, her near death experience, and her own personal struggle with the suicide deaths of three of her own family members. She is an author of several soon to be published books regarding the afterlife, growing up an empath, connecting to spirits and details of her NDE. Susan is a life coach , and has studied under international renowned mediums such as Tony Stockwell, Lisa Williams, James Van Praagh and Lynn Probert. She has been featured in OA magazine, spirit anchor and on Empire Radio station in New York. She has also been interviewed and featured on Mary Giuliani live in Orange County, Ca. Susan works with her abilities to bring healing to those seeking insight. Susan’s ratings show her as one of the top rated mediums and healers by the Yelp community.

Melinda Vail

Melinda VailThe Medium Who Makes A Difference

Melinda Vail lives and works in Tempe, Arizona, where she maintains a successful practice as the leading intuitive therapist in the Southwest. She is also a certified hypnotherapist, lecturer, and author of Morning Musings by Melinda and If you Could See Inside Me, a book on anti-bullying. Melinda’s additional certifications include: Three Stages of Healing, Victims of Sexual Trauma, and Advanced Training in Childhood Trauma. She helps survivors of suicide with their grief about their loved ones. She is known as The Medium Who Makes a Difference. Melinda has three children, Jason, McKennan, and Amanda; as well as a grandchild who holds her heart, Elliot. All three of her children are involved with the healing arts. Melinda enjoys attending the symphony, traveling, charity galas, and is known for her random acts of kindness.