61. Intro to Grief Work

The topic of grief can be difficult, but every therapist knows it’s something we all face at some point. In this episode, we’re diving into the messy, raw, and sometimes surprising world of grief-- through the Grief Recovery Method.

Jordan Mealey, LPC, NCC, ACS, CGRS, CCTP joins to help us understand and explore how to support clients navigating their toughest moments. Join us as we unpack the complexities of loss with compassion, honesty, and always a little bit of humor.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

00:19 Jordan's Role and Responsibilities

01:47 The Importance of Grief and Loss in Therapy

02:34 Personal Journey into Grief Specialization

08:36 Understanding Different Types of Grief

10:33 Challenges in Discussing Grief

10:58 The Grief Recovery Method

17:16 Therapist's Role in Grief Counseling

32:37 Advice for Non-Specialist Therapists

39:08 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW. Each episode features a therapist speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. ⁠Miranda Barker,⁠ MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly three years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.

Therapist Thrival Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. ⁠⁠⁠#therapy⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠#mentalhealth

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Jordan is a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and Grief Recovery Specialist. She has supported people for 10+ years in different treatment settings including inpatient care, school-based counseling, intensive levels of outpatient programming, and private practice. She thrives to guide people to recognize their strengths through honest self-exploration, authenticity, and humor. A passion close to her heart is working with people through life transitions, including grief and loss.