Grief Groups

(because grief sucks, but you don’t have to do it alone)

The Art of Grieving

RITUALS AND EXPRESSIVE ARTS FOR GRIEF

Research has shown that the grieving brain is in a state of neuro fluidity and one of the best ways to support it it with rituals. Ritual soothes the brain through repetitive and contained actions, then invites the whole person (body, spirit, and brain) into the moment when meaning can begin to be made about the loss.

In this group I combine my unique skills as a celebrant, who creates original ceremonies and rituals, and as a therapist with a decade of experience working with grief and loss. Each session I gently invite grievers to actively mourn their loved ones through movement, creative writing, expressive art activities, and collective sharing and witnessing.

We can not solve grief, but what we can do is provide a structured and safe place for it to express and be honored so life can begin to move again around the grief.

This group meets weekly and engages in therapeutic arts-based activities to hold, shift, and share their grief. Crafting and art supplies are provided as well as journals.

This is a mixed loss group, meaning any type of grief is welcome. However, it is important to consult with Genevieve first to make sure this group would be supportive for the unique loss profile of each member.

Spots are limited, but there is an on going waitlist that new members are drawn from as older members leave.

8omin.- Fridays at 11:30 am - In Person - Northwest Austin - $85 - materials included - minimum 8 week commitment

Parent Loss For People under 40

This group gives people who have lost a parent to death in the first half of their life an opportunity to be uniquely supported.

Disenfranchised grief

IN-LAW LOSS, Invisible Loss, MiXED LOSS, PET LOSS

Grieving is hard enough on it’s own, but when you have circumstances around your loss that make it hard to share about your grief the weight of it can double. When the loved one of a loved one dies, it can be hard to know how to best support your partner and yourself. When a pet dies, no one gets how deep the wound feels. When someone you didn’t know well or had a difficult relationship with passes, it is hard to process using the standard tools.
Wondering if are you allowed to feel this bad? The news is you are… come share with others who are also just trying to be seen in their unique loss.

GENEVIEVE SAENZ, MA, LICENSED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST
TEXAS LICENSE #202925

SPECIALTIES

Grief Counseling

The experience of loss touches us all eventually. If grief is making you feel upsidedown and overwhelmed right now, counseling can help. I have over ten years of experience as a grief counselor and a deep respect for the unique and wild ride that acute grief takes us on. We can’t fill the void, and it is possible to figure out how to walk with it in new ways.

Spiritual Counseling

Often we feel distant from our own lives because we feel distant from our spiritual self. Carl Jung had a sign hanging in his office that said in Latin “Bidden or unbidden, spirit is present”. I believe that any healing psychotherapy provides to the mind and the heart will inevitably touch the soul. My training in the creative arts, non-dualistic philosophy, ritual design, tarot, mindfulness, and work in spiritual communities make me uniquely equipped to understand spiritual crises and religious wounding. We won’t ever know all the answers, and so let’s sit in the mysteries together.

Counseling for Justice

This world keep getting you down? No one is an island and all of us exist within complex systems, cultures, ideals, and expectations. A systemic approach to therapy is inherently trauma-informed and justice-oriented because it acknowledges the pushes and pulls of the collective in which we all live. How can we foster our individuation (a fancy way of saying be ourselves) in a world that constantly asks us to conform, contort, and hide our truth? My approach here is one of balance and humility; we can look at the ways that we are shaped by the systems we are a part of, and by improving our relationship with ourselves and our loved ones we can also shape the world around us. “nobody is free, until everybody is free” - Fannie Lou Hamer

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is your rate and do you take insurance?

My rate is $180 for 50 min of counseling. There are no sliding scale rates available at this time. I am not on any insurance panels nor do I foresee joining insurance panels in the future. I do take HSA/FSA cards as a form of payment. I can also provide a superbill with a diagnosis on it (when appropriate) that you may submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement.

What is your location?

I have a hybrid model of seeing clients both online and in person. My physical office is in Northwest Austin, Tx. I offer secure online sessions for clients who currently reside in the state of Texas, USA. I am licensed in Texas and can not practice therapy across state lines.

How long will I be in therapy?

I prefer to work in a short term model; focused on helping people facilitate long term change. Everyone is different and this treatment model is not appropriate for all clients. I tell new folks to consider dedicating to a therapeutic process with me for a “season” of life. I say this because human beings generally grow and change in accordance with seasonal shifts that are echoed in nature, our communities, and our biologies. After a season of therapy you will likely feel ready for some kind of shift; be it into less counseling or a different mode of therapeutic experience.

What happens in counseling?

Weird magic, but not that kind of magic.
Honestly, if I had a magic wand to just take away your pain, I would absolutely do that and that would be awesome… but I don’t.
What happens in therapy is we sit in a lot of pain together while we find ways to eliminate the shit we can and transform what we can’t into a catalyst for growth. But it isn’t all muck, often we laugh and play and have fun because there are an endless number of ways to show up for yourself.

Do I have to make art?

Art making is optional, creativity is not. I have lots of art supplies and poetry books in my office which I use to send out lots of invitations to think outside the box. Often my sessions are entirely traditional talk therapy. That said, I do tend to have a creative or symbolic lens through which I view healing and, while we may never make “art” we will undoubtedly veer into the realm of imagination and storytelling at some point.

What is your license and training?

My MA is in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy, obtained from CIIS in SanFrancisco in 2012. I have been a licensed therapist in the state of Texas since 2016, I obtained my full LMFT status in 2020. I also have additional training in attachment and trauma in grief, EFT/TFT, human sexuality, Jungian psychotherapy, drama therapy, mindfulness, and reiki.

I do understand how hard it is to find a good fit in therapy. If you need more immediate help there are several options such as group counseling practices, non-profit counseling agencies, and even online services that match you with a therapist.
I wish you well on your journey and hope that you find the support you need.

THERAPEUTIC STYLE

Conscious

Mindfulness is the basic (but not easy)human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

Hello, wake up. Good morning. Breathe. Let’s be here now.

Like most therapists, I combine ideas and interventions that inspire me the most in to a unique style of working with clients.

This is a list of the therapeutic theories and techniques I draw from most often. -Person Centered Therapy - Jungian Analysis - Solution Focused Brief Therapy - Systems Theory - Gottman Stuff - Spiritual Counseling - Experiential Therapy - Mindfulness. 

Creative

Creativity and playfulness are gateways to the unconscious where help, truth, (and sometimes a bit of trouble) lie in wait for us.

BUT artists do not have a monopoly on creativity. We all have access to it if we can simply step away from our attachment to the product and let ourselves get involved in the process.

Your creativity is your birthright and your best medicine.

I am an expressive arts therapist, y’all. In session we may or may not do “art”, but I am absolutely going to invite you to take creative risks. We will speak in symbol and metaphor, we will talk of sacred rites, we will laugh about silly dance moves, we will discuss your favorite earthly delights and how certain poems feel like home.

I have learned over the years that your creativity is my co-therapist; because it taps you into your ability to grow and heal. You don’t need me. You need access to your own voice.

Change

Transformations can be small or large, public or private. They can last years, minutes, or days. Their wake can be brutal or barely noticed. Regardless, evolution being what it is, they are a fact of life.

You will change, the question is how.

In a world that lacks sacrament and ceremony, making time for therapy and creative reflection during life transitions ensures that we come out on the other side of these passageways healthy and whole.

Examples of life transitions include:

• Pregnancy and new parenthood

• Engagement or newlywed period

• Career change

• Death and Bereavement

• Break-ups, separation, and divorce

• Puberty or Coming of Age

• "Coming out" (as LGBTQA and/or non-traditional relationship)

Here is the crux of what I believe about this: honoring and recognizing life transition, whether personally or publicly, is psychologically imperative for mental health.