Hello!  Thank you for being here and whatever your reason is I can only assume that you have suffered a loss and are searching for a way to feel better so you can move on in your life.  As an Advanced Grief Recovery Specialist I am committed to helping you heal your broken heart of the pain and grief that you have carried within you for so long.  For some, it may have been only a short time since your loss and for others it may have been 10, 20, 30 or even more years without ever dealing with your grief.  Why?  Because you did not know how.

My Story

I was introduced to grief at a very young age.  When I was three years old my father drowned in a boating accident.  I can't even imagine the devastation my mother felt when she received the news that my father had drowned on that dreadful day of July 2, 1957.   She was unable to pull herself out of deep depression and died of suicide when I was eleven.  Losing both parents while so young left my heart deeply broken and the feeling that I would never find joy or happiness in my life again.  I was going through all the motions but still remained numb.

Having grandparents take my brother and I to live with them was a blessing.  They provided for us and gave us the stability we needed but the one piece of the puzzle that was missing was communication.  I'm sure my grandparents felt that they were protecting us by not talking about our pain and loss but how I would have loved to learn more about my mom and dad and the memories they shared.  Looking back now, my grandparents didn't know what to do or what to say to us to help us feel better.

Moving On..

I attended college, married, had two children and was very happy.  I decided to become a Life Coach and this experience is what brought me to the realization and self-discovery that I had not really grieved over the loss of my parents.  I could feel the pain and the brokenness in my heart begin to surface through bouts of anger.  This is when I decided to do some research on grief and ways that I could simply feel better and feel happier.   It was through this research that I found The Grief Recovery Institute and their program, The Grief Recovery Method®.   This program opened my heart and allowed me to dig even deeper into my pain and also provided  the  necessary action steps and tools to help heal my broken heart.  

After realizing the transformation that was made after completion of the Grief Recovery Method Program is when I realized I wanted to become a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist.  I wanted to share the experience I had just witnesseed and introduce the program into the community to help heal the hearts of so many other grievers.  The need is so great in all our communities and to be able to help others regain that passion for life brings a smile to my face just knowing that they came back to life not only for themselves but for their loved ones as well.   I am simply a facilitator who puts "ears on my heart" and listens and guides but the true work is done by you, the participant and griever.

My services include facilitating a Grief Recovery Support Group, Grief Recovery Support on an individual basis, and Grief Recovery Support Online in the Toledo, Ohio area.

As John James, the founder of The Grief Recovery Institute, would say "It's never too soon to heal a broken heart."

From my heart to yours...

Denise