Your First Step
One conversation.
That's all this is.
No cost. No commitment. No need to know what you want or where to begin. You talk, I listen, and we see what would help.
What It's Like
We Go Slowly
Thirty minutes, by phone or video, whichever is easier.
There's no rush and no agenda. You say as much or as little as you want, in whatever order it comes out. If you cry, we stop. If you go quiet, we stay there — silence is fine, and I won't hurry to fill it.
You don't have to prepare. You don't have to have it organized in your head first. "I don't know where to start" is a complete and honest opening, and it's the one I hear most.
Most people tell me afterward that they breathed easier than they had in a while. Not because anything got solved in half an hour, but because for half an hour nobody needed them to be all right.
A Word for Men
Nobody Asks How You're Doing
The truth is that in meaning well, they are not prepared for what you will say let alone face that it is something that can happen to them too. They ask whether you're sleeping. Of course you aren't. They offer a positive spin on something that is unimaginably painful. They let you know that if you ever need anything all you have to do is call - how in the world could you manage to do that. It's hard enough to make it through the day not to mention the night time. They tell you to stay strong for the family, and then they change the subject.
So you handle it. You go back to work, you deal with the endless paperwork involed in such a monumental loss, you keep the house running, and you carry the whole thing privately because there's never been anywhere safe to put it down and have some releif from the endless thoughts, regrets, pain, and all you can do to muster enough strength to start all over having to face what has just happened to you.
You'd be welcome here. There's no requirement to talk about feelings in any particular way, no expectation that you'll break down but if you do, you are in safe hands, and nothing you have to wear a mask for when at work or perform in a way that is expected in the outside world. Just a half hour where somebody asks about you and allows what is said and unsaid to unfold naturally. My hope is that you will be able to say something that eases the pain just a bit.
More Than One Way In
You Don't Have to Choose
There's more than one way to do this, and they suit different people at different times.
Grief Circles
A small group of people carrying the same kind of loss. Nothing has to be explained, because everyone in the room already knows.
One-to-One Sessions
Private coaching, offered in packages so you're not making a decision week by week — one less thing to think about.
The Retreat
A few days away, with movement, breath, sound, and remembrance. A break from carrying it, in a place where nobody needs you to look fine.
Something Else Entirely
Sometimes what someone needs isn't any of the above — including work I'm not the right person for. If that's the case, I'll say so and help you find who is.
You don't have to work out which one.
That's what the conversation is for.
Before You Decide
What This Call Isn't
- Not a sales pitch. There's nothing to buy at the end of it.
- Not an intake form, a script, or a clipboard across the room.
- Not a test you can fail, or a loss you have to justify.
- Not therapy — grief coaching is companioning, and it's a different thing.
- Not a place where anyone will ask you to let go, move on, or find the silver lining.
- Not a decision point. You can hang up and think about it for a month.
Debbie Rivera
Certified Grief Coach · Virtually and Tampa, Florida
Let's Talk
It's me you'll be talking to — not an assistant, not an intake team. I read every message myself and I answer every one.
Pick a time that suits you, or write to me first if you'd rather. Two sentences is plenty — you don't owe me your whole story before we've even spoken.
Everything you share stays between us. There's no waiting list, no application, and no wrong way to say hello. Plenty of people write to me months before they feel ready to begin — that's perfectly all right, and I'll still be here.
Grief coaching is companioning, not crisis care. If you're in immediate danger or thinking about ending your life, please reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 in the US — any hour, any day. You deserve support right now, not an appointment next week.
From My Heart to Yours
What I want is for you to have somewhere it's safe to breathe again. If that's what you're looking for, I'd be glad to talk.