The holidays can be extremely hard when you aren’t in the “holly jolly” mood. And this year, especially due to the loss of lives from the pandemic, there will be a lot of people facing their first holiday season without a loved one. Counselor Mandy’s guest on this episode of Finding Hope, grief specialist and licensed professional counselor Tammy Starling, has experienced this first-hand. She shares her story, as well as offers tools for both honoring the grief and finding moments of peace and celebration during this time. “It’s so important to acknowledge your grief, take care of yourself, and have a plan” says Tammy.
For many years Tammy and Mandy held Hope for the Holidays events where people gathered to share about the grief they were experiencing as the holidays approached. “It is rare to find a space where grief is actually honored and listened to at this time of the year” says Mandy. This year they are hoping to offer a virtual Hope for the Holidays in December. (Watch Mandy’s FB and Insta pages for details.)
Tammy Starling is a grief specialist and licensed professional counselor in Nashville, Tennessee. She was in private practice for 22 years, 16 of which she and Counselor Mandy were business partners together in Charlotte, NC. Over the years, Tammy has taught numerous classes on grief and led many large and small groups around living with loss. Currently, she administers behavioral health grant programs for a large managed care organization in TN. She is the mother of two adult children and has two grandsons.
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