Grief Counseling & Life Coaching
Grief Counseling / Life Coaching:
In Person: $95 per session
Virtual/Zoom: $75 per session
Grief-counseling sessions run one-hour (or sometimes more, if you need more. I’m flexible) and can be done by phone, Zoom, or in-person (right now, Massachusetts area only.) Session cost includes session itself, plus any post/prep work that I do in between our sessions.
The most effective way to work on an ongoing basis is once per week. However, everyone’s situation is different, and some may prefer to do bi-weekly sessions or even monthly. Since counseling is not considered a medical/clinical service, it is not covered by insurance, and I am not equipped to accept any insurance plans. Sorry! All fees are kept at reasonable rates so as to be affordable for most people. Please email me with any affordability issues, and I will do my best to work something out.
Why talk to me?
Believe me, I wish like hell that I wasn’t sitting here in the position I am now in, to be offering you grief-counseling and life coaching services. I wish I was unfamiliar with how losing your partner, literally affects every other part of your life. I wish I knew nothing of P.T.S.D. or anxiety or panic attacks. I wish I didn’t know any of this, and that someone else could maybe help you to process and heal and live a beautiful life with loss, and I could go back to my magnificent, ordinary life with my dear and wonderful husband.
But I can’t.
Because my husband is dead.
On July 13, 2011, sudden death came to my healthy, 46-year-old husband, in the form of a massive heart attack. There were no last words. No “I love you.” No “good morning.” Like the worst magic trick of all time, he was just here one second, and then – POOF! – gone the next. I was left behind to figure out my life.
Over the past 12 years since my husband’s death, one of the many things I have come to figure out, is that when I reach out to others with the intention of helping them process and heal, I am also healing myself. I have also realized that I am not the same person I was before this loss. To live inside something like this and not have it change who you are, is impossible. This new version of me finds purpose and joy in helping others to crawl and then walk and then fly this road they never knew they’d be on.
I have complete confidence that if you choose to talk with me one-on-one, we will figure out the pieces of your life together, and we will find the steps to walk you through it. I know it is possible, because I am living and breathing today. I have gone from a place of complete hopelessness and darkness, to a place of joy and bright tomorrows. The best part is that I have learned endless, vital things along the way. I have learned , among many other things, that we do not ever “let go” of the people we love who have died. We carry them inside and outside and everywhere within our universe, and if we let them, they can actually help us to fly again. I want so much to be able to pass on to you, all the many things I have learned . Let’s walk through this together. Let’s slowly step into your life.
Step into your life: (from grieving to finding your way back to life)
After you lose someone that you love deeply, everything within you changes. Most people have absolutely no clue how to grieve, or what the heck to DO with all of these piling-up emotions and thoughts. This is why grief is so damn scary. Every single time you have another emotional breakdown, you truly wonder how anyone can possibly live with this much pain and not die. And then the pain happens again. And it happens again. Again. Again, and again, and again. “How am I still alive”, you think. “And am I going to be in this much pain forever?”
I remember asking my grief-counselor that exact same thing, over and over and over again. Nobody ever tells you that the only way to NOT keep feeling the intense pain – is to process through and talk through and analyze and go over every detail of it, until you no longer need to anymore. It is only after you do all of this, that you can begin to re-create your life. The process of doing this takes as long as it takes, and it’s different for everyone, but it must happen. The only way out is through.
People grieve for things every single day. THINGS OTHER THAN DEATH. People not only grieve other people, but they also grieve extreme life-changes like divorce or loss of a job or home, and traumatic or unexpected events that take place in their lives – throwing them into the pits of “what the hell do I do now?” Loss of a pregnancy, coping with infertility, life-altering diagnosis and so many other things can cause a person to grieve. If you feel like something huge has ended, yet you don’t know where or how to begin, you are probably grieving something and need to process through it.
As your grief-counselor, I will work with you through this process of telling and re-telling your story, processing your many emotions, and figuring out what comes next for you. I will be your ally, your support system, and I will offer you tools and coping mechanisms to help you through the next day or hour or minute. As your life coach, I will help you to find the pieces of your life after loss, or life after anything hard. We will work together to figure out who you are today, what you want, and how to make it happen. I will help you to step back into your life.
Living through and with loss is an ongoing learning process, so sessions work best on a long-term basis. However, sometimes you just ABSOLUTELY NEED TO TALK WITH SOMEONE RIGHT THIS SECOND, or your needs may be more short-term. I am here for you, and I am flexible. Each person is different in how they live through and with loss, and my overall goal is to help you to move into a place where you are not only just existing, but making moves to create and then step into your life – with very real joy and purpose. Together, we can create goals and a new direction for the life that you were meant to live.
Sessions:
Sessions run one-hour (or sometimes more, if you need more. I’m flexible) and can be done by phone, Zoom, or in-person (right now, Massachusetts area only.)
The most effective way to work on an ongoing basis is once per week. However, everyone’s situation is different, and some may prefer to do bi-weekly sessions or even monthly. Since counseling is not considered a medical service, it is not covered by insurance, and I am not equipped to accept any insurance plans. Sorry! All fees are kept at a very low rate so as to be affordable for most people. Please email me with any affordability issues, ad I am sure we can work something out. Payments can be made via Paypal, at kelleylynn926@yahoo.com, before each session if possible. (follow link below for easy Paypal payments) or by Venmo @kelleylynnme. Checks by mail or Zelle are also acceptable.
One hour session = $95
One hour Virtual session = $75
Please note that while grief-counseling and life coaching can be life-altering and extremely beneficial, it is not psychiatric care or treatment of any conditions such as depression, and I cannot diagnose clients who may be in this type of crisis mode. If you are suffering from depression or other mental illness, this would most likely interfere with the process, and you should seek assistance or help from a professional.
If you think you are interested in one-on-one work with me, and you are ready to make the first move to “step into your life”, please send me an email at laughingthroughloss@gmail.com or at kelleylynn926@yahoo.com .
Thank you so much. I look so forward to speaking with you.
Kelley is certified with The American Academy of Grief Counseling
“I have been working with Kelley as her grief-counselor for about 3 years, and she never ceases to amaze me. Kelley possesses the most important qualities necessary for anyone counseling or coaching ANYONE ELSE. Those qualities are true self-awareness, authenticity, and compassion. At times, our work together has left us both laughing (yes, laughing) and crying. Her genuineness always shines through and that makes her an amazing grief coach. ”
“"Losing my wife in a car accident has been the most horrific thing I have ever gone through. There are days when I don't know how I'm going to get up again and live this nightmare. And then I remember that I have a daughter. And THEN I remember that my teenage daughter is in the process of transitioning from female to male, and then I remember that I have literally NO IDEA what I'm doing as a father, and especially as a father who no longer has his wife to help him to begin to understand what is happening to our family. One of the last things my wife said to our daughter after she told us about all she is going through, was: "Thank you for trusting us with this. We love you, and we will get through this, together." Three days later, my wife was dead, leaving behind a hurting child and a clueless dad.
Talking with Kelley has been life-changing for me. She can't bring back my beautiful wife or make the pain stop, but she has made me see so many things and helped me to realize that not only am I grieving my wife, but also my daughter; as she grows into this new version of herself that will now be 'him' and have a new name and persona. Because I can process and talk about all my emotions and fears with Kelley, I can then go home to my child and be the dad that 'he' needs me to be, and we can begin to figure this out and heal together, just like my wife wanted. After my sessions with Kelley, I feel heard, validated, hopeful, and sane. She just gets it on every level, and I'm so grateful for each enlightening conversation we have. I'm still at the point where I hate my life, but now I know that feeling that way is entirely understandable, and that it doesn't make me a horrible person. It makes me a person who is grieving deeply. I feel hopeful that there will be a day a long time from now, where I won't feel this awful, and where maybe it won't hurt so much to get up in the morning." - Anonymous
“I was widowed over 5 years ago and thought that I no longer needed any grief support. I was wrong. I realized that grief can and does still kick my butt. Then I saw that Kelley had recently become a certified grief counselor, so I reached out to schedule a session with her. It's exactly what I needed. She gives me great ideas to continue building my life while grieving, and maneuvering life as a widow and as a sister who's missing her brother, too. My first grief counselor was good, but she had never experienced a profound loss herself. Kelley has - she knows what she's talking about, and what she's suggesting to help me move forward. It makes such a big difference! Kelley is kind, compassionate, a great listener, and I always end up laughing with her throughout our sessions. I'm so glad she's a grief counselor now!" - Kim B.