Grief and Loss: Connection and Post-Traumatic Growth

About the group:

This group is designed to help participants deal with feelings and experiences involved with grief and loss. There are no exact ‘rights or wrongs’ in dealing with loss, nor any specific timeframe where we expect to move beyond it. The death of someone significant in our lives affects each person uniquely and personally. We often find ourselves in the ripple effects of the loss, and other losses that come after. We want you to know that you are not alone!

It is through interacting with our emotions, as well as expressing them in a safe, supportive place that we encounter new beginnings and hope beyond our experienced loss. Throughout the length of our group, we will learn about grief and loss, explore and understand our grief and loss, connect with others, and find ways to make sense and personally grow from our losses.

About María José and Mike

María José Sotomayor-Giacomucci, MSS, LCSW (she,her,ella) has experience facilitating groups for children and adult caregivers who have experienced significant losses. In her practice, she supports and honors the unique ways that grief and loss manifest for clients of all ages, genders, and backgrounds, while providing compassion, empathetic listening, and experiential modalities.

María José has extensive experience supporting individuals and communities navigating grief and loss. She has facilitated grief and loss groups for adult caregivers, children, and professionals, creating spaces for healing through connection, storytelling, and experiential practices. Her work acknowledges the complexities of grief across the lifespan and honors the cultural, relational, and individual nuances of loss. María José has also presented local and nationally on these topics, including at the ParentChild+ National Virtual Conference, where she shared insights on grief, trauma, and resilience in caregiving and early childhood contexts.

In addition to her grief-focused work, María José specializes in trauma and attachment and brings a deep commitment to working with individuals, families and groups. Her approach is grounded in cultural humility, relational attunement, and trauma-informed care. She supports clients through a wide range of life transitions, including migration, separation, loss, and identity shifts, and integrates experiential modalities—such as art and poetry—to support healing, meaning-making, and connection.

Learn more about María José on her bio page. 

Mike Marsteller (he/him/his) is a graduate student at Messiah University studying clinical mental health counseling. Mike uses a person-centered approach to therapy. Utilizing compassion and empathy, he provides a safe, non-judgmental therapeutic space where clients feel accepted and valued. He was drawn to counseling after going through his healing journey of traumatic loss and grief. With a passion for helping others, Mike brings unique life experiences and genuine enthusiasm into his role as a therapist. Mike is a certified grief educator and has supported bereaved adults, caregivers, and individuals living with chronic illness. He has been a volunteer facilitator for children’s grief support groups for the last four years. With an interest in trauma and grief, Mike is aligned with issues related to bereavement, grief and loss, chronic illness, PTSD, life transitions, anxiety, and depression. Learn more about Mike on his bio page.