Grief Coaching for Men
When the weight becomes too much to carry alone.
If you're a man experiencing grief and struggling to find your way forward, I'm glad our paths have crossed.
Grief changes everything. The overwhelming emotions—or sometimes, the troubling absence of them—can make even the simplest tasks feel impossible. Your loss may have left you questioning everything you thought you knew.
As men, we're often told to "man up," to bury our feelings, to handle everything alone. We're expected to be the rock, never the one who breaks.
But grief doesn't work that way.
True strength isn't found in isolation. It's found in having the courage to acknowledge your pain and accept support when you need it most.
I offer men a different path through grief—one with understanding, practical tools, and authentic connection. Together, we'll navigate this terrain in a way that honors both your experience and your identity as a man.
You don't have to walk this road alone. Let me shoulder some of this weight with you.
Coaching is For You Whether…
You've Lost Someone You Love
Death-related loss can be overwhelming. Whether sudden or expected, losing someone close creates a void that feels impossible to navigate. Grief coaching provides a compassionate space to process your emotions and begin healing at your own pace.
You're Caring for Someone You Love
Caregiving for someone who is sick or dying brings tremendous emotional and physical challenges. You're balancing practical responsibilities while processing anticipatory grief and fear about what's happening to your loved one. Coaching offers support for both immediate coping and preparing for what lies ahead.
Your Grief is Fresh or Unresolved
Grief doesn't follow a predictable timeline. Whether your loss happened yesterday or years ago, unresolved grief can surface unexpectedly, affecting your wellbeing and relationships. It's never too early or too late to seek support for your grief journey.
You’re Facing End of Life
Confronting your own mortality brings profound questions and emotions. Whether navigating a terminal diagnosis or simply approaching end of life with intention, coaching provides space to explore feelings, address unfinished business, and find meaning. Together, we can work through fears, communicate wishes to loved ones, and focus on living fully in whatever time remains.
You’re Facing Non-Death Loss
The loss of a job, relationship, health, ability, or identity can trigger profound grief. These "invisible losses" often go unrecognized by others, yet their impact is equally valid and significant. Coaching helps acknowledge and honor these losses while rebuilding meaning and purpose.
A Message For Men Experiencing Grief
If you're struggling with grief, please know:
When you don't have ways to express your pain or people to talk to, unprocessed grief can create even more pain and suffering. Your feelings deserve outlets and support.
Keeping emotional pain bottled up inside—as many of us were taught to do—can create an unbearable pressure, especially after a significant loss. This pressure needs healthy release.
If you've lost someone who was your main emotional support, you're carrying two heavy burdens at once: your grief and the loss of your confidant. This double loss can be overwhelming for anyone.
You may have heard throughout your life that you should handle difficult emotions on your own. This expectation isn't realistic or healthy during grief—reaching for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Turning to alcohol or other substances might temporarily numb the pain, but ultimately these can deepen your despair and complicate your grief. There are healthier ways to cope.
Your grief matters. Your pain is real. And you deserve support during this difficult time. Reaching out isn't just okay—it could be essential for your wellbeing.
Complimentary Chemistry Session
Is this the right fit for you?
Before committing to grief coaching, I invite you to schedule a complimentary 30-minute chemistry session. This conversation allows us both to determine if we're the right match for this important work.
During our call, we'll discuss:
Your current situation and what brought you to seek support
How grief is showing up in your life right now
What you're hoping to gain from coaching
My approach to supporting men through grief
Any questions you have about the process
There's no obligation to continue beyond this initial conversation. Grief work requires trust and connection, and finding the right support person matters.
Ready to take the first step? Schedule your complimentary session using the link below:
Schedule Your Chemistry Session
If you prefer to reach out directly before scheduling, feel free to contact me at [your email/phone].
About Your Coach
Throughout my middle years, I've witnessed a profound truth about grief: while loss touches everyone, our resources for processing it vary dramatically—especially for men. I've walked alongside my father as he navigated years of caretaking for my mother, then faced the impossible task of outliving her. I've watched him endure as friends departed one by one.
Time and again, I've become the unexpected confidant for men paralyzed by a partner's devastating diagnosis—men who later crumbled in isolation when that loss became reality. I've seen too many good men derail their lives simply because they lacked someone who could hold space for their pain without judgment.
It has become my calling to be that person—to shoulder that burden for men traversing the wilderness of grief. My approach goes beyond merely enduring or "white-knuckling" through loss. Together, we'll find personalized ways to metabolize and integrate your grief, transforming it from an overwhelming force into a meaningful part of your continuing story.
My twenty-year coaching career is built on solid foundations: Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credentials from the International Coach Federation, comprehensive training from the Co-Active Training Institute, and specialized grief support certification through grief author and therapist Claire Bidwell Smith's program. As a certified End-of-Life Specialist with Home Care Plus, I also volunteer with Providence Hospice of Petaluma, deepening my understanding of loss across its many dimensions.
Working with Me
Through our partnership, you will:
Be truly seen by someone who understands the depth of your experience
Unpack and honor your complex emotions without judgment
Develop the vocabulary to express what often feels inexpressible
Develop awareness of grief's physical impact and strategies to support your body
Master practical skills to manage overwhelming grief in daily life
Navigate the darkest moments while gradually rediscovering meaning and purpose
Create personalized rituals that anchor you during turbulent times
Rebuild or strengthen relationships that may have been strained through your grief process
Gain insights into how masculine expectations have shaped your grieving process
Chart a meaningful path forward that honors both your loss and your future
My Approach to Grief Coaching
I believe that grief is not a problem to be solved but a natural experience to be honored. My coaching methodology draws from various evidence-based approaches while recognizing the unique needs of men in grief.
Compassionate Assessment
We begin with understanding your specific grief experience, its impact on your life, and what support looks like for you. This helps us create a personalized approach.
Emotional Awareness Cultivation
Learn to identify, express, and process complex emotions in ways that feel authentic to you, without judgment or pressure to "move on."
Body-Mind Connection
Recognize and address the physical manifestations of grief, from sleep disruption to changes in energy and focus, while developing sustainable self-care practices that support your overall wellbeing during this challenging time.
Practical Coping Strategies
Develop concrete tools for managing grief waves, difficult situations, and rebuilding daily routines that honor both your loss and your ongoing life.
Pacing and Integration
Move through your grief journey at a pace that feels right for you, without arbitrary timelines or pressure to "move on." Learn to navigate social expectations while honoring your own process and needs.
Building Support Networks
Identify and develop meaningful connections with others who can provide ongoing support, while addressing barriers to seeking help that are often specific to men's experiences.
Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future
Explore how to integrate your loss into your life story in ways that allow for both honoring what's been lost and creating meaningful paths forward.
Session Format
Coaching is available virtually either on Zoom or one a regular phone call (I am based in Sebastopol, CA but work with clients from all over the United States).
Most clients benefit from:
Initial 90-minute deep dive session
Bi-weekly 60-minute sessions with no minimum or maximum number of sessions.
Additional check-in sessions as needed
Text and email support between sessions
Packages and individual sessions are available to meet your needs and circumstances. Learn about pricing here.
FAQs
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Grief coaching focuses on supporting you through your current grief experience with education, coping strategies, and forward movement. Therapy often addresses underlying mental health conditions or past trauma. While I have therapeutic training, our coaching relationship is present and future-focused, though we will explore how past experiences influence your grieving.
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Men often face unique challenges when grieving that make specialized support valuable:
Social conditioning affects expression - Many men have been taught to suppress emotions like sadness and vulnerability, making it harder to process grief openly.
Different grief patterns - Men may express grief through action, problem-solving, anger, or withdrawal rather than talking or crying. These expressions can be misinterpreted or go unrecognized as grief.
Smaller emotional support networks - Men typically maintain fewer close confidants for discussing emotional struggles and may be less practiced at seeking emotional support.
Identity challenges - Grief can disrupt roles central to many men's identities (provider, protector, partner), creating additional psychological strain.
Higher risk coping behaviors - Without appropriate outlets, men may turn to alcohol, overwork, or other potentially harmful coping mechanisms.
Delayed grief responses - Men often postpone their grief, sometimes for years, focusing instead on practical matters or supporting others.
Additional stigma - Men can face particular judgment for showing emotion in grief contexts, creating barriers to natural expression.
Specialized grief support provides a space where these differences are understood and addressed, helping men process loss in ways that align with their experiences while avoiding harmful stereotypes.
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Many men come to coaching without a vocabulary for emotional expression. Part of our work together is finding ways to identify and express grief that feel authentic to you. There's no single "right way" to grieve or express emotions.
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No. Grief can resurface years or decades after a loss, or may never have been fully processed. Many clients come to coaching for losses that happened long ago but continue to impact their lives.
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Grief doesn't follow a timeline, and neither does coaching. Most clients find that 4-6 months provide significant support and tools, but this varies based on individual needs. We'll regularly assess what's helping and adjust accordingly.
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Please see my pricing page.