A soft place to land for grieving hearts
Amy Hyun Swart
Grief & Trauma Therapist, Group Facilitator
Grief as medicine for these times...
We are living in grief-filled times. There is so much destruction and unraveling of systems around us, news alerts of the latest violence and collapse occurring, and at the same time, there have never been so many opportunities to numb out and distract. Grieving is a necessary skill to be resilient to the heartache of the world, but for many of us, we have seemed to have lost our capacity to mourn over loss, having been raised in a death-denying, grief-phobic culture. When a heartbreaking loss turns our life upside-down, or a trauma from the past gets activated from a recent event, it can feel unbearable to cope, along with all that is already happening in the world. Together, we can remember our inherent capacity to grieve, and open our hearts to the love and beauty that is all around us, even in the midst of so much despair.
Hi, I’m Amy. Thank you for being here.
Thank you for being here. If you are visiting this page it means you have suffered a loss, or care for someone who is. Grief can feel so isolating in the dominant cultural narrative of "getting over it” and "moving on” and I hope that some resources here or offerings I provide will help you feel less alone and more connected to yourself and others during this tender time. I know this from my own life experience, which is what brought me to the work I do today. As a grief and trauma therapist and group facilitator, I center my work around supporting those in the throes of grief, trauma, and loss. To learn more about me, click the button below.
Working Together.
I offer semi-annual grief groups and courses along with personalized grief support offerings. See below for details about Grief Rituals, Personalized Rituals, Crisis Response, Consultations, Grief Medicine Untrainings, and the upcoming 8-week Grief Medicine Course, with one course a year offered specifically for Black, Indigenous People and People of Color, including Multiracial Folk.
Endorsements from Those Who Lead
“After losing my twin sister, I came to Amy’s Grief Medicine circle carrying a sorrow that felt too heavy to navigate alone. Amy has a beautiful gift for creating a sanctuary where grief is not something to be fixed, but welcomed, witnessed, and honored. Her compassion and grounded presence allowed me to soften into my sorrow and find comfort in the shared humanity of others.
As someone who also facilitates grief spaces, I understand the depth of care and presence this work requires. Amy embodies these qualities with so much authenticity and grace. She is someone I wholeheartedly trust to accompany others through the tender landscape of loss, and I am deeply grateful for the medicine she brings into the world!”
— Kelsey Ellis, Founder & Executive Director, Waves of Grief Collective
“Amy is a wonderful guide and facilitator for holding people in the deep waters of grief. Her care and compassion meet people where they are on their journey and help people feel met and seen. Amy's experience in holding grief rituals for the last decade shines through in helping participants feel welcome and held in whatever grief they are carrying. She creates a warm, safe, inclusive space for people who are grieving to gather and form community. I highly recommend her offerings for a medicinal balm for people's broken hearts.”
— Phoenix Song, queer, nonbinary Korean American adoptee performer, teacher and sound healer
“Amy Hyun Swart is a truly unique and exceptional grief guide and I am grateful and thankful for having had this opportunity to collaborate with her. In her experiential workshop on grief we explored the many different ways that grief touches our lives and learned very useful language to help in understanding and expressing where we experience grief in our hearts, minds and bodies. The material covered in the workshop was incredibly empowering but it was Amy’s empathic, passionate yet gentle and assured presence that made the workshop especially powerful and profound. Amy guided us through some very emotional explorations surrounding grief with expertise, love and compassion and held the space with grace, kindness and confidence."
— Sarah Lotus, Founder of Mixed Bloom Room
Upcoming Grief Medicine Events
There are lots of ways to connect in communities big and small while experiencing grief.
Explore upcoming events to find an offering that could be supportive for your process.
Personalized Grief Support Offerings
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Personalized Rituals
Offering culturally sensitive, non-denominational grief rituals for families and communities to process grief together and feel supported after experiencing a loss. Create something personal or join us for semi-regular, in-person Grief Gatherings by the Sea in Albany, CA.
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Crisis Response
Offering culturally sensitive traumatic loss processing for communities when a loss has just happened. I have helped families, friends and communities, businesses and organizations, non-profit healthcare workers and residential treatment programs come together around the profound loss that has just happened and find a way to honor the life of the person with reverence, love, and connection with one another.
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Consultations
Offering individual consultation for those whose vocation includes holding space for grief via rituals, groups, individual therapy, or as a community leader. In our time together we can focus on whatever you need support around, whether it’s a specific case you are working on, crafting a ritual, or helping you learn to trust in your skills as facilitator.
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Grief Medicine UnTrainings
As therapists, we are seldom taught how to be with grief in our graduate programs yet loss is everywhere and every client who walks into your office is in one way or another, impacted by loss. To be well-versed in the world of grief therapy, we often have to re-examine what we learned in our programs and see what really helps our clients when they are in the throes of grief.
