Workshops and Professional Speaking

Book Dr. Katie Atkins and Dr. Sonya Lorelle for a Speaking Engagement. Contact for more information.

Meet Our Speakers

Dr. Katherine Atkins & Dr. Sonya Lorelle

Founders, Reconceptualizing Grief: Developmental Considerations for Counseling Clients Experiencing Loss

As pioneers in grief counseling and counselor education, Dr. Katherine Atkins and Dr. Sonya Lorelle bring decades of clinical, educational, and personal experience to every speaking engagement. Their work challenges traditional views of grief, offering a developmental and holistic framework that empowers individuals and organizations to navigate loss with resilience and compassion.

Expertise and Experience: With extensive backgrounds in both academic research and clinical practice, our speakers provide insights grounded in real-world experience.
Engaging and Empathetic: Our presentations are designed to be interactive, inspiring, and tailored to the unique needs of diverse audiences.

Why Book Us?

Most people struggle to understand grief as an ongoing, identity-shifting process rather than something to ignore or "get over." Traditional grief models, like the five stages of grief, have created harmful misconceptions that leave people feeling broken, stuck, or unsupported. We can help by

Counselor Preparation

We help counselors move beyond outdated, stage-based grief models toward a research-informed understanding of grief as a non-linear, identity-shaping process. Our trainings support counselors working in private practice, group practice, and university settings by providing clear conceptual frameworks, shared language, and practical tools that can be used immediately with clients and students across diverse types of loss. These workshops are well suited for continuing education, supervision groups, graduate programs, and faculty development.

For Workplaces & Organizations

Grief affects employee well-being, engagement, and retention—often showing up through burnout, disengagement, decreased performance, or strained team dynamics, especially following loss, illness, organizational change, or cumulative stress. We help workplaces build grief-informed leadership and cultures, offering practical strategies for managers and teams to respond with clarity, flexibility, and compassion.

For Medical and Healthcare

In medical and healthcare settings, grief often shows up as difficult conversations, strained relationships with patients and families, team exhaustion, and uncertainty about how to respond to ongoing loss. Our workshops and trainings help healthcare professionals build confidence in supporting patients, families, and one another through these challenges. We focus on practical approaches to communication, recognizing the cumulative impact of loss, and creating sustainable ways for providers and teams to care well without becoming depleted. These trainings are well suited for hospitals, clinics, hospice and palliative care teams, and medical education programs seeking to strengthen grief-informed care and support staff well-being.

Past Appearances

Media mentions:

Yahoo Entertainment: 'The Bear' Season 3 shows grief in many forms. Fans share how the show makes them feel seen.

News release: Counseling faculty share tips for navigating grief during the holidays: For Journalists - Northwestern University

Podcast:

Invited guests for: The ICA podcast with Christine, Carmel and Kyle Podcast

Key Speaking Engagements:

Lorelle, S., & Atkins, K. M. (2025, March).Transforming Grief Counseling: Conceptualization and New Therapeutic Approaches to Loss. [3-hour Workshop]. Illinois Mental Health Counseling Association Conference, Orland Park, IL

Atkins, K. M., & Lorelle, S. (2024). Reconceptualizing Grief: Working with Clients Experiencing Loss. The Family Institute., Evanston, IL,

Lorelle, S., Atkins, K. M. (2024, October). Reconceptualizing Grief: Working with Clients Experiencing Loss. [3-hour Workshop]. Louisiana Counseling Association Pre-Conference. Virtual.

Lorelle, S. & Atkins, K. (2024, October). Preparing Counselors to Navigate Grief and Loss: Engaging in Self Exploration to Inform Practice. Western Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. Tuscon, AZ

Atkins, K. & Lorelle, S. (2023). Working with Clients Experiencing Grief. Three hour recorded webinar through Illinois Counseling Association

Kristin C.

ICA Office Manager

Katie Atkins and Sonya Lorelle consistently deliver presentations that captivate and educate our ICA Conference attendees. Their deep understanding of the subject matter, coupled with their dynamic presentation styles, creates a truly memorable experience. Year after year, they draw large crowds, proving their status as leading experts and highly sought-after speakers. We value their continued participation immensely

Sarah M.,

Licensed Professional Counselor

Dr. Lorelle and Dr. Atkins' TMGL training completely transformed the way I understand grief. Their developmental model provided me with a deeper, more holistic approach to helping my clients process loss. I left with not only practical tools but also a renewed confidence in my ability to hold space for those navigating grief.

Michael P.

Clinical Supervisor

The TMGL framework helped me recognize the hidden grief patterns in my clients that I had previously overlooked. Understanding grief and its developmental aspects has allowed me to intervene more effectively. This training provided both knowledge and empowerment.