Offering hope and relief for those suffering from Prolonged Grief

We joined together as a group out of our shared compassion and purpose, so that we might bring awareness and hope to those who suffer, not knowing why grief has taken over their life or that help does exist.

Over twenty years ago, Dr. Katherine Shear, a renowned psychotherapy researcher, became interested in a form of grief that appeared to leave bereaved people who suffered a loss of someone very close, in a chronic state of unrelenting distress for months, years, even decades. Prolonged grief, a debilitating condition, did not respond to established treatments for anxiety or depression. Dr. Shear was determined to find a way to help these people and began, what would be years of research, to develop a short-term psychotherapy, which could lift the persistent suffering of prolonged grief for bereaved people.

During those years of research, including three clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Shear refined the therapy with her clinical team. As part of Dr.Shear’s team, the four of us were honored to be selected as the clinicians, supervisors, and trainers for what proved to be a highly effective, evidence-based treatment.

After our introduction to this approach, we each chose to make prolonged grief and its treatment the focus of our careers. We made this choice because we witnessed first-hand how bereaved people, who had lost all hope for their lives, were able to move to a place of hopefulness, fulfillment, even joy, as they worked through this 16-week psychotherapy program. By the time the Center for Prolonged Grief opened in 2013, the four of us had assisted Dr.Shear in training hundreds of clinicians, and treated numerous bereaved people with this condition.  Since this time, we continue to work with Dr.Shear to research, refine, and teach about Prolonged Grief Treatment and to offer it in our practices.

We are pleased that you found us and are confident we can offer information, guidance, and hope for your unique situation.