The Thing About Grief

Since become a clinical mental health counselor in 2019, I’ve worked with hundreds of clients covering a wide range of conditions documented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM.

What I’ve found is that there are three overriding issues for which there is no diagnosis in the DSM. The first is loneliness, the second is powerlessness. The third? Well, that would be grief, an issue that only recently made its way for the first time into the DSM. But it is only recognized in conjunction with loss of a relative or friend, and only if a person is still experiencing severe symptoms of grief after 12 months.

In my work with clients, I often find grief to be a driving issue. And it is not only about death, but any type of loss. In fact, my second book, Mosaics of Grief: A Novel About Confronting Loss, which I hope to publish in 2026, puts a spotlight on the different types of grief people can experience.

The American Counseling Association, which published my blog post about my first book, Unwrapping: A Novel About Generational Trauma, asked me to create a continuing education offering on the topic of grief and how to treat it. My focus is on my specialty of post-modern approaches such as narrative therapy, a foundation of my work as a counselor.

I was honored to be considered, and the course is now available for download from the ACA.