Meet Tracy

"Hearing stories from people who have discovered life after loss brings me great joy.  Each story is unique and 100% their own, what they share are the action steps they each took to recover.  It truly is an honor to be part of another persons healing journey."

I became a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist® in 2003 while practicing as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor.  I saw a theme, underlying identified symptoms, of loss and heartache that did not require diagnosis to "treat" children and families. 

"There were so many beautiful moments in every experience I had caring for children and families at Camp Sunshine, as well as, my internships in two of Boston's biggest hospitals. These experiences highlighted very real needs and gaps in caring for the whole person and significantly impacted my commitment and life's work to care for people in this way."

My first graduate degree and specialty was working with children with life threatening and chronic illness.  Surprisingly, I never had a course, not even one class on grief and loss. Following the completion of my Masters I went on to complete post graduate work in clinical counseling and education, and once again no course, not even one class on grief.

"After completing two graduate school experiences, volunteer work, and extensive internship experiences- I KNEW in my heart that grief was more than the stages so easily quoted."

I intuitively knew that grief was not about absolute stages and that moving through the pain in isolation was not what healed a heart.  My heart knew and desired to care for grievers and while I was pleasure reading about healing with horses the author shared his journey through the Grief Recovery Method® and I knew I had discovered something wonderful.  I signed up for the next training, which included  completing my own grief timeline and doing the work to move beyond the pain of my own grief, loss and heartache before completing the training to becoming certified as a specialist.  Although it was my professional quest that led me to discover the GRM I am no stranger to the loneliness and heartache of grief and loss and use the tools and steps in my life frequently.

I have not eluded my own immense pain of grief and loss.  After becoming a mother through adoption of older children, I journeyed through the heartache and pain of a child choosing to disrupt their adoption, lost my place in the professional realm , experienced betrayal, divorce and more.  I know the power of the method personally and my heart's desire is to share the hope found in completing the pain to every single individual in the world.

"Showing up fully me-with grief as part of my story that has impacted me, not defined me, is so important to me.  Brene Brown so eloquently stated, vulnerability is having the courage to show up when you can't control the outcome.  Courage is walking through vulnerability." 

Discovering  the “heart of the matter” is where it is at for me and I believe that completing relationships with people, places and things is essential to living an authentic life.  I count it an honor to hold space for others who choose courage to complete their losses. 

When I am resting & recharging I can be found connecting with family, friends, and loved ones. I absolutely love each experience in nature, DIY’ing like a boss, upcycling or recycling all things old, and learning new ways to live that are eco-friendly, plant based, and toxic-free.