Hi there! I'm Kelsey

Goal / Approach
 
As a yoga teacher, I have trained with teachers and mentors who align with my values both on and off the mat. I completed my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training with Tiffany Cagwin and Ame Wren through Boston Yoga School in 2016, and Part 1 of my Yin Yoga Teacher Training with Caitlin Rose Kenney in 2021. I owe a lot of my embodied awareness and development as a human being to these individuals, and am constantly in awe of the work that they do to make this a more holistic, inclusive, and connected environment to practice life (and yoga) in. 
 
All of these experiences have prepared and inspired me to open up my own private practice and continue this meaningful work of linking movement and expression to grief. When I'm not "therapist Kelsey"  I like to go for walks in nature, spend time with the important people in my life, move my body, and enjoy a nice cup of tea.​
I couldn't be happier to begin creating a supportive and informed grief community and I look forward to flowing and connecting with you!
 
“One must be connected with their breath to feel their body. A connection to the body allows one to feel their heart. A connection with the heart allows one to become clear about their values so that they may connect with their humanity. When one sees their own humanity and realizes that others are suffering around them they have the opportunity to connect with the oneness of all beings and our shared humanity” - Michelle C. Johnson.

 
Qualifications
 
Kelsey received her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Dance/Movement Therapy from Lesley University in 2019. Since then she has worked at multiple grief organizations across the country facilitating individual and group grief support services for children, teens, and adults. As a Board Certified Dance Movement Therapist, Kelsey can approach grief in a unique way due to the incorporation of movement and emphasis on the mind body connection that her work entails. Kelsey is also a 200-hour certified yoga teacher and received her Advanced Grief Yoga® Teacher Certification with Paul Denniston to further her exploration of the embodied elements of grief through movement. Kelsey has completed grief training with the Dougy Center: The National Grief Center for Children and Families in Portland, OR, Claire Bidwell Smith through her Grief & Loss Program, and Claire Bidwell Smith and Hope Edelman’s Mother Loss Training.

Most recently, she has had the opportunity to join Claire Bidwell Smith on her In Person Conscious Grieving Retreats where she shares her Flowing with Grief movement practice that allows retreat participants to engage in grief processing through the body. Kelsey is the founder of Riverbend Grief Movement LLC, a private practice in Syracuse, NY where she continues supporting children, teens, and adults who are grieving. Kelsey offers virtual individual and group grief support, as well as weekly Flowing with Grief practices.
 
Memberships
 
National Alliance for Children's Grief and American Dance Therapy Association

Education
 
Masters in Mental Health Counseling and specialization in Dance/Movement Therapy from Lesley University in 2019.
 
Trainings and Certificates
 
Training At Dougy Center's International Summer Institute in 2019
Certification in Grief Yoga® with Paul Denniston
Certification in Comprehensive Grief & Loss with Claire Bidwell Smith
Certification in Mother Loss with Hope Edelman and Claire Bidwell Smith
 
Personal Information
 
Kelsey is the founder of Riverbend Grief Movement LLC. She'd been a dancer her whole life.