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Talk 1-on-1 with a Peer Specialist About Grief Counseling

If you are searching for grief counseling but are not ready for formal therapy, a 1-on-1 session with a grief Peer Specialist offers a private, accessible alternative. You can talk honestly about your loss with someone who has walked through grief themselves and found steadier ground.

Specialists available to book by the session.

1-on-1 support

Talk privately with a trained Peer Specialist

Want more focused support around major life events? These Specialists offer 1-on-1 conversations shaped by lived experience.

View all Specialists
Deirdre Millman

Deirdre Millman

Available today

Grounded, Compassionate Peer Support and Guidance.

Anxiety
Stress management
Izzy

Izzy

Available today

Peer support for narcissistic abuse & emotional healing

Anxiety
Depression
Melissa McCormick

Melissa McCormick

Available today

Real conversation for the ever-growing human experience

Abandonment
Adoption
Trish

Trish

Available today

Hi! I am 62 years old—a survivor, an overcomer, and a woman of faith who has lived through chronic health challenges, PTSD, grief, anxiety, and trauma. I have survived mental and physical trauma, including religious trauma, dysfunctional family dynamics, narcissistic behaviors, gaslighting, abandonment, rejection, and power and control. As the youngest of five children, these experiences affected how I saw myself for many years. Through separation, healing, faith, and self-discovery, I began to find freedom. I discovered my identity, embraced my positive qualities, and learned that I am more than what happened to me. Throughout my life, I have experienced tremendous grief. I lost a sibling in 1989, my father in 2015, my mother in 2022, and other loved ones along the way. Each loss became part of my journey and helped shape the woman I am today. I am the mother of one son and grandmother of three beautiful grandchildren. My family has faced challenges, including ADHD, PTSD, and childhood seizures, yet I also see incredible gifts, talents, strength, and potential beyond measure. From 2014 until June 2022, I was my mother's caregiver as she lived with dementia. It was one of the hardest challenges of my life. It brought me to my knees and taught me to move beyond codependency and place my complete trust in God. It taught me humility and helped me discover purpose in my pain. Although my mother had four living children, I often felt I stood alone. Others may have considered me the "black sheep," but I came to believe God had chosen and set me apart for something greater. My mother was one of my greatest influences and mentors, and I loved her dearly. My son and I are also walking through our healing journey—recovering from childhood trauma, rebuilding our relationship, and seeking spiritual healing. After 13 years of estrangement, we are reconnecting and learning how to bond again. I'm not where I want to be, but thank God, I'm not where I used to be. In 2012, substance use (prescribed medication) and an eating disorder became ways of trying to escape a painful world. But God said, "You shall live and not die." And I am still here—to use my lived experience to encourage others and share how I survived, healed, and overcame. I am an expressive writer. Poetry and spoken words allow me to release the bad, the good, and the ugly. Paper does not judge. Writing advocates and gives a voice to the voiceless. The pen 🖊 spills what our lips cannot speak—our truth. My motto is: "Knowledge Brings Clarity, and Clarity Brings Power." Professionally, I am a faith-based Certified Peer Specialist (CRSS), Dementia Facilitator, and Resource Specialist supporting women and children impacted by domestic violence. My lived experiences have shaped my passion for advocacy, education, peer support, and helping others find resources, hope, and a voice. Through everything I have endured, I have learned that every attack does not deserve a reaction. I have learned when to be silent, when to speak, and—most importantly—when to walk away. In 2025, I became a curse breaker. Through the wisdom of God and clarity received from a deeply personal experience with Him, I began breaking down layers of generational pain and trauma. My healing became about more than me. It became about what I would pass down to my son, grandchildren, and generations to come. Instead of passing down the pain of the past, I choose to pass down the greatest gift God has given us—the gift of LOVE and how to acknowledge a LIE vs the TRUTH. My journey is about healing the inner child, breaking down every layer, and gaining clarity for mental health wellness, spiritual healing, and freedom. I am breaking what no longer needs to continue. I am healing what was once left wounded. I am replacing generational pain with generational love. My global brand is Rebirth4Love—representing survival, transformation, healing, purpose, faith, generational change, unconditional love, and the power to begin again. My message to the world is: OUR PAST DOES NOT DEFINE OUR DESTINY! There is life after trauma, purpose after pain, love after rejection, freedom after breaking generational cycles, and always an opportunity for rebirth.

PTSD
Fear of abandonment
Kaitlin Weigle

Kaitlin Weigle

Available today

Broad lived experience & passionate about helping. CPSS.

Anxiety
Depression
Topic context

Understanding grief counseling

Grief isn’t linear, and it doesn’t follow a set timeline. Whether you’ve lost a loved one, a relationship, or a way of life, the emotional weight can feel isolating and hard to explain to others. Peer support offers comfort in shared mourning. It’s a space where you don’t have to be okay — where your feelings are welcomed and validated. Together, you honor loss, share coping strategies, and find moments of hope in the presence of others who truly understand.

Why it helps

How a Peer Specialist helps with grief counseling

A grief Peer Specialist helps because formal counseling has barriers: cost, waitlists, and the pressure of clinical language around something deeply personal. A 1-on-1 session with someone who has lived through grief can offer connection, validation, and real perspective at a pace that is yours to set.

In a session

What a grief counseling specialist session often covers

  • The early shock, numbness, and disorientation that follow a loss
  • Complicated grief, ambiguous loss, and the kinds of loss others do not always recognize
  • Anniversaries, holidays, and dates that surface grief long after the initial loss
  • How grief is affecting relationships, work, sleep, and daily functioning
  • What helped your specialist process loss, find support, and move through grief at their own pace
Good fit for

Who these specialists may help

  • People who want grief support but are not yet ready for or able to access formal counseling
  • Anyone looking for a more accessible, peer-based alternative to licensed grief therapy
  • People who want 1-on-1 conversation with someone who understands loss from lived experience
  • Anyone who feels the people around them have moved on but their grief has not
Keep exploring

Related topics

These topics often connect with grief counseling and may lead you to another specialist who fits what you are navigating.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between grief counseling and a grief Peer Specialist?

Grief counseling is provided by a licensed therapist and involves clinical assessment and structured treatment. A grief Peer Specialist offers 1-on-1 peer support from someone who has personally experienced significant loss. Many people use peer support as an accessible first step, alongside counseling, or when formal therapy is not the right fit.

Can a grief Peer Specialist help if my loss is not a death?

Yes. Grief Peer Specialists support many kinds of loss: relationships, health, identity, pregnancy loss, and other major life changes. You do not need to have lost someone to death to book a session.

How soon after a loss can I book a 1-on-1 session?

There is no required waiting period. Some people book in the first days after a loss, others months or years later. Your specialist will meet you wherever you are in your grief.
Group support

Want to join a group conversation about grief counseling?

Join a free peer-led grief counseling support group with others who understand.

See Grief Counseling groups

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