Testimonials For Mike Strick
Mike Strick exhibited a mastery of this material that helped me in a number of ways to gain understanding of how my own grief had been affecting me. He was completely respectful and attentive. He created an atmosphere of trust and honesty that I've never experienced with a private therapist. One of the most important things he did was create a container where I could speak my absolute truth without being judged. I've never felt so "heard" and supported. The healing I've gained is proportional to the quality Mike's leadership, the thoroughness of the homework, and my willingness to be honest with myself and really dig in. Having worked on multiple losses using the Grief Recovery Method, I am a firm believer in this methodology. The healing I've gained has made me a lighter, clearer version of myself and I highly recommend it.
One-on-One Support03/25/2022
The program brought a productive awareness of the my relationships with other as well as a different perspective that will allow me to move forward.
Support Groups07/01/2021
This program was very helpful for me because it gave me tools and information about grief and coping with grief that were completely new to me. I felt supported by this program that my emotions and experience were unique and valid, yet was also challenged to think of my grief in a new way and apply a new perspective to it. Mike Strick, my program facilitator, was patient and gracious as I navigated an uncharted territory of my grief.
One-on-One Support12/17/2020
I am a very slow learner, and I definitely have more issues to work on, but I do feel like it helped me learn things about myself, about how to deal with what life throws at me, and I am confident, that I will, one day, be able to smile again.
Support Groups12/11/2019Participant in Blue Ash, Ohio
It has changed the lies and myths that I have been taught! It has taught me valuable listening skills! It has also taught me how not to block people’s feelings while they are sharing their feelings. Most importantly, the homework assignments were difficult, challenging, painful but they allowed me to explore feelings that had been buried and unspoken! They helped me slowly peel off the hurt, anger, guilt and pain! My goal was to find a new norm and release the grief and celebrate the life of my brother with loving memories instead of focusing on the pain! Thanks for helping me discover me again!
Support Groups12/11/2019Participant in Cincinnati , Oh
It made me more aware of the effect of "loss" on the mental and emotional "self". It provided the "class" method of grief recovery and gave thought on how to continue recovery on a personal/individual basis.
Support Groups12/11/2019Participant in Blue Ash, Ohio
It helped me face and deal with some aspects of my relationship with my late husband which I had tried to sweep under the rug.
Support Groups12/11/2019Participant in Blue Ash, OH
Support Groups12/11/2019Participant in Cincinnati , Oh
It helped me let go of old pain but also helped me see my contribution to the pain. It also gave me a framework and goal of a different, better relationship.
Support Groups12/10/2019Participant in Blue Ash, Oh
I found Mike to be very knowledgeable, understanding and kind. I went into this group knowing I had to "trust the process/him"...I was so desperate at the beginning, I just felt I had nothing to lose...I HAD to do something. I know now I started this group thinking I was going to be "miraculously cured" and no longer so sad and devastated at the loss of my daughter. As the weeks in the group went on and reading and homework were completed, I realized one of the goals was not to take away the loss/grief but to teach us how to better cope and face life....how to work thru the many faces of grief (of which there are many!). I know my life will never be the same and I will miss Kelli with every breath I take but I feel I now have some "ammunition" to better help me live without her.
Support Groups12/10/2019Participant in Cincinnati, OH
Support Groups12/10/2019Participant in Blue Ash, Ohio
Before starting Grief Recovery I felt alone and guilty with some of my decisions that I have made. Once I started the program I started to feel like I was not alone and a lot of people struggle with similar issues. I loved that I had a great support system while coming each week. I was able to work on the loss of my mom and no longer feel guilty for my decisions I have made. The weekly homework truly helped me and now I have all the tools I need to work on other losses I have.
Support Groups12/10/2019Participant in Cincinnati, Ohio
I feel better after completing the course. I learned a lot and feel well on my way to recovery.
Support Groups12/10/2019Participant in Cincinati, Ohio
The greatest thing about the program was that it provided an outlet for me to express myself and feelings without feeling judged. I worked on my relationship with my mother as opposed to the loss of my father and the program was what made me comfortable to do so. Without it I would have felt like a bad person for needing to deal with my relationship with my mother as opposed to the loss of my father when I will never see him again. The program taught me that there are multiple kinds of losses, and that it was perfectly okay to work on whichever one, no matter the magnitude. I am looking forward to the grad class to complete the process of coping with the loss of my father
Support Groups12/10/2019Participant in Cincinnati, Ohio
I have completed the Grief Recovery program six times now. It has allowed me to process unresolved grief related to past childhood abuse, my relationship with both of my parents, and with ex-partners and even myself. It has completely changed my life and allowed me the freedom to be vulnerable and express my emotions and feelings in a way that no other program has. I am more free, open and available to my loved ones today as a result of this program. Thank you.
Support Groups11/18/2019Participant in Cincinnati, OHIO
Support Groups11/18/2019Participant in Cincinnati, OH
Everything about this program resonated with me -- learning how to actually communicate honestly about my feelings, understanding how to recover from loss and breaking unhealthy patterns. It made sense to me from the first class -- we are taught how to gain, but never how to lose. We are not taught how to be honest about our feelings. Everything leading up to actually working on one loss was just as valuable as working on the loss. This class changed the course of my life toward recovery and living fully instead of being stuck in grief and undelivered emotional communications.
11/18/2019Participant in Cincinnati, Ohio
I love this program!!! I originally came because my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. I realized I was grieving and that the loss (even though she had not died) was going to be hard to cope with. My sister had just signed up for a workshop with Mike so I called him. Luckily I was able to get into one too. However, before I could go to my first meeting my daughter had me thrown out of her wedding. This is a long story and it broke my heart. So when I arrived at the workshop I was a basket case and I could not stop crying. My first session was 12 weeks to learn the process. To my surprise I didn't work on my mother or my daughter. I worked on my father who had left me when I was seven. When I said good-bye to my father (who is dead) I felt a change in myself. I can't really put my finger on it but somehow I was lighter. Additionally, there was a woman in my group who was so deeply in pain and suffering it was sad to watch her. Yet, over the course of the 12 weeks I saw that woman begin to heal. I saw that the mutual suffering and support from the group worked on us all. As we told our truths and witnessed each others pain Mike led us all through "the dark night". After that I was hooked. I had a lot of work to do so I dug in and held nothing back. I worked hard on my homework digging deep and remembering so much that I had stuffed for so long. Over a period of the next months I worked on my unfinished relationships with my daughter, my mother, my sister, my x-husband. I became brave enough to try to work on a career loss (I just couldn't let go of the resentment) and I also worked on the loss of my favorite dog ( I was unable to stop crying when reference to her came up). Again and again I was rewarded by the effects the process had on me and in my life. The most amazing thing was that after I read my letter to my daughter (who I had no contact or communication with in a year) we began to talk again. She was pregnant and with the birth of the baby a whole new relationship began. I am not supposed to mention the wedding and it doesn't matter to me because I have said what I wanted, apologized and forgiven. I can talk about it without crying or feeling negative or resentful. I came to accept my mother and my sister just as they are. I have said what I need to say, I apologized and I forgave and now I am clear to go day to day with them having no old baggage or pain. I was a little anxious about my x-husband because there were such bad feelings, deceit and abuse history. However, I was so healed from all of this that when I needed to interact with him for the sake of our daughter and granddaughter I did so in a way that I was able to set boundaries, remain calm and self possessed. As far as the career loss is concerned I have let it go. There was never anything I could have done to save it. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and that's what happened to me. Luckily I no longer have any attachment to any of the people or events that caused me so much pain. My dog I can now think of her with love affection and humor. I don't cry any more. I will always miss her. My most recent experience with the program was accepting the loss of my my grandfather. I had to get some of the more glaring losses dealt with before I could see that the loss of my grandfather was so subtle and fundamental to my entire life. The loss of my grandfather was what Mike called a "foundational loss." I haven't experienced any magic moments yet but I have felt a shift in my perception of life. I'm feeling more self confident and grounded. I am not so afraid. I think I was so stuck in the trauma of the events surrounding the loss that I have been looking at life from the perspective of a thirteen year old. I want to say that this program of " Grief Recovery" (with Mike Strick) has saved me, healed me and worked for me in so many ways. I will be eternally grateful!!!!
Support Groups10/17/2019Participant in cincinnati, ohio
The program helped me understand forgiveness better - that it's about me, not the dying/dead person, and that it is more like looking through the person and dismissing any control they had over my emotions, not condoning the action, and not telling myself that it was okay, just acknowledging it and letting go of the negative emotions it caused me. I very much appreciate that the program is not a support group and that nobody is supposed to judge me.
Support Groups10/17/2019Participant in Blue Ash, Ohio
i have participated multiple times. Each session has led to personal enhancement of wellbeing/peace and an improvement in relationship with the the subject of the program for me- a few amazing transitions. i did 12 week 2x for major relationships and graduate 4 times. each time is beneficial even if revisiting same relationship at different stages. this program works if the participant works it! period. it has helped me more than 16 years of psycotherapy..and is complementary to other practices and readings i do for healing and drive for wellbeing
Support Groups10/17/2019Participant in Cincinnati, Ohio
Had a direct purpose. Had a beginning and an end. Homework forced me to look at problem areas. Closure.
Support Groups08/21/2019Participant in CINCINNATI, OHIO
Support Groups08/21/2019Participant in Blue ash, Oh
I am now able to understand my part in my grief and reaction to losses of all kinds. I feel much less victimized. I now understand that forgiveness is all about me and never the other person who is not going to want or ever ask for forgiveness, nor will they apologize. It's all on me and that was oddly a surprise.
Support Groups08/21/2019Participant in Cincinnati, Ohio
I've had several losses in my life. My first one was at the age of 29 when my first husband was killed in a car wreck leaving myself and two toddlers behind. I never dealt with that grief other than talking to anyone who would listen. Fast forward, twenty-five years later, I watched my second husband die slowly of cancer. It was a tumultuous relationship for a few of the 22 years, however, after he discovered he had stage four pancreatic cancer, it was as though we recommitted to our marriage. Love, kindness and grace and mercy became part of our ritual intentionally with the muck buried underneath of past hurts. Nevertheless, after Jeff passed away, I was directed to meet Mike Strick with Grief Recovery. In my first meeting, he listened so intently, that it was the first time someone listened to my every word for nearly two hours with no judgement about my truth. So, I signed up and committed to making the 12-week Grief Recovery journey. Along the way, unearthing every good thing about the relationship, I also realized that releasing the hurt and pain was necessary as part of my healing, and I did just that working alongside nine other strangers in town. They, too, were kind and listened intently as I purged all of the baggage and toxic waste from my system that was no longer necessary for me to hang onto since my spouse was gone physically. They did the same for their losses. Some days I did not want to write. Some days I was angry and thought I had a right to hang onto my pain. Instead, I learned to tell my story to people willing to listen, release it and let it go through apologies and forgiveness. I no longer feel as though I'm carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I've completed my relationship with my spouse. I miss him daily and will treasure the good times that we spent together. I was so committed to this process that I had an out patient surgical procedure on one of the class days and still made it to the session. This course was necessary. It is the beginning of my self care. Lastly, on the day of the final session, my rheumatoid specialist decreased one of my medicines due to improvement in my condition. I wonder how many of us are walking around with old stuff, baggage bottled up inside causing physically ailments because of unfinished business in relationships through divorce, death or any significant loss. I completed my relationship through this process and for that I am grateful. Many thanks to Hospice through Crossroads on so many levels.
Support Groups08/20/2019Participant in Cincinnati , Ohio