I am a multidisciplinary artist and grief educator who works intuitively with fabric and paper, exploring the shared terrain of life, death, grief, and transformation.  My artwork is rooted in discarded and found materials, challenging conventional ideas of beauty, worth, and permanence – what has been cast aside becomes essential again and histories remain visible.  This process reflects the nature of grief itself: nonlinear, layered, and deeply human. Through transformation rather than erasure, something honest and whole emerges. 

 

Both my creative practice and my work in grief arise from the same place: a deep belief that grief is not something to be fixed or rushed through, but something meaningful to be witnessed, tended, and honored.

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After surviving a near-death experience, art became a lifeline for me – a steady presence that offered solace, strength, and a renewed sense of purpose.  While this experience shaped my path, my capacity to witness grief extends beyond my own story.  I hold a genuine interest in sitting with grief in all its forms, creating space for others to be seen, heard, and accompanied without judgement or expectation. Grief has so much to teach us about love, connection, and belonging.  For me, creating The Grief Space Vermont is about offering the community a place where grief is met with presence, not urgency; a place where we are reminded that we are not alone.

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Degrees and Certifications

 

MA, Transpersonal Psychology with a Concentration in Creativity & Innovation (currently enrolled) 

BA, Creative Writing w/ Concentration in Poetry

Certified Reiki II Practitioner

Certified End of Life Doula

Certified Grief Educator

Since childhood I’ve been a fascinated observer of human behavior - including my own - with a special interest in the incredible power we exercise over ourselves and others. While earning a Masters degree in Sociology I focused on researching social networks, new spiritual movements, and nascent political movements that rose spontaneously within the community in response to immediate and intense conditions. As the founder of The Soul Room in Montpelier, I have led many classes in meditation and intuitive development, and co-facilitated courses in trauma and post-traumatic growth. Time after time, I’ve witnessed the incredible capacity we have for growth and positive transformation despite experiencing seemingly unbearable pain or hardship. I also began to notice that unprocessed grief - and its business partner unprocessed anger - seem to lie at the base of trauma, shame, and other internal weights that suppress our ability to feel pleasure or hope. We are hardwired to seek connection and belonging, and yet grief so often acts as a wedge that isolates us from the joyful parts of ourselves and from our community. The Grief Space Vermont springs from a deep place in my heart which understands grief to be a very natural part of life while also seeing that our cultural norms can place unnatural rules on how and when it is expressed. Growing the idea that grief is a dynamic time of transition that needs room to exist and flex is an expression of love - for myself, for my daughter, for my friends and loved ones, and for my community. A people that can embrace the width and depth of grief can also hold an overflow of compassion, hope and resilience.

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Degrees and Certifications

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MA, Sociology

​BA, Comparative Religions

University of Vermont Grief and Bereavement Specialist Professional Certificate  

University of Vermont Navigating Change and Life Transitions Professional Certificate

Certified Trauma Aware Group Facilitator

Certified Trauma Aware Meditation Teacher

Certified Adult Mental Health First Aid Provider

Program Certification, Nonprofit Financial Management