Grief Coaching

Grief is a Universal Human Experience

The path you take in grief is deeply personal.

I offer grief coaching in a flexible, adaptive format so that I can meet people where they are—not squeezing them into a pre-set structure. 

  • We begin with a Connection Call. No pressure, no cost. An honest invitation to connect, to learn more about each other, and to explore our potential work together. I want this to be a time when you feel seen and heard. 

  • Most clients meet weekly. We will work together to determine a cadence that works best for you. Grief doesn’t always agree to the plans we make, so we will adapt as we go.

  • Sessions are $100 for 50 minutes. Pay as you go or up front.

  • Grief is a full-time job in many cases. No unnecessary assignments.

How does Grief Coaching Work?

I come to this work sincerely.

My wife, Stacey, died of a rare, rapid brain disease when she was 45. All of a sudden, I was a widowed parent of three boys (16 and under), flattened by the experience of grief and loss. All the dreams and plans for life upended in a matter of months. I found myself trying to figure out parenting, work, purpose, friendships, finances, and more—all while sitting in a little boat amidst an ocean of grief.

My own therapist was (and continues to be) a great partner and support for me. It was my grief coach—someone who had experienced the death of their partner—who was an unexpected but invaluable partner for me. The genuine, deep empathy and shared experience of loss gave me something I really needed as I sorted out how to move through the days and weeks ahead.

———

I have been coaching for over a decade. About six months after Stacey died, I realized that I would continue coaching, but with a major shift. Instead of continuing in the world of leadership and management, I was pivoting to something much more meaningful to me, something grounded. My work is about holding space for both grief and possibility at the same time. You can read more about a particular moment that led me to commit to this kind of work on Substack: My First Workshop Back in 9 Months.

You can also listen to a podcast interview where I talk about our family’s experience and some of my perspectives on grief. (Also available in all your favorite podcast locations.)

My Grief Coaching philosophy comes down to 5 things: 

  • Grief is about loss. Most of my clients have experienced the death of a loved one. But grief is connected to all kinds of loss—friendships, jobs, relationships, life transitions, and more. 

  • Your grief is your own. Your experience won’t perfectly match anyone else’s experience. But there will be similarities.

  • Grief isn’t linear. It isn’t a problem to be solved or an algorithm to hack. You have to learn your own rhythms.

  • Healing doesn’t mean you’re broken. Grief is a natural human experience. You don’t need to be fixed: you need to be seen, heard, and supported. 

  • There are possibilities ahead, there is a way forward. My business is called Optimistic Coaching, but don’t think that means our grief work together is about a happy, sunny, “everything is great” mindset. It simply means that, even when we have no idea how the future will play out, there are paths we can take. There are still possibilities. And sometimes we need someone to hold on to that belief with us.

“Grief is natural, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. That’s why we all deserve space to sit and work through our thoughts, feelings, and needs with someone who understands, someone who can support us as we take each step on this path. ”
— Adam Bouse

How is Grief Coaching different than therapy?

  • Coaching, generally speaking, is about seeing more clearly so that you can take the steps you want to take. Without rushing or prescribing, coaching helps you identify where you are and where you want to go. 

    A grief coach offers non-clinical support, education, reflection, practical tools, and compassionate accountability.

  • Grief comes from something that has already happened (or is in the process of happening). So the past is relevant and part of the conversation. But coaching, different from some forms of therapy, won’t spend a lot of time looking for patterns in the past. It’s about identifying where you are today, holding space to include your full experience, and then deciding what you want and need in the present moment and going forward. 

    • I’m not here to fix you. I will offer resources, ideas, and presence—but I won’t try to be the expert in what you should or shouldn’t do. 

    • Our call is confidential. I won’t share the details of our coaching sessions with anyone else. Period. 

    • If I believe you are at risk for harming yourself or others, I do have an ethical responsibility to report that to appropriate sources. Your health and well-being, and that of those around you, is of the utmost importance. This is the only reason I would break confidentiality. 

Learn More About Adam

If you feel even a little curious, let’s connect and see how grief coaching can be part of your path forward.

  • “One of the only things grief asks of us is to keep making space for it.” 

    — Dr. Hillary McBride

  • “Maybe it’s more helpful not to think of grief as a journey we finish but a language that demands fluency.”

    — John Onwuchekwa

  • "We shake with joy, we shake with grief. What a time they have, these two housed as they are in the same body."

    — Mary Oliver

  • "More than anything, my hope is you feel some sense of comfort ...knowing that yes, the world is full of peril and grief—and still, love is mingled in and grows all the stronger."

    — JRR Tolkien