The Waves of Grief Collective is a community of licensed clinicians, healers, community leaders, and those navigating their own grief and wanting to hold space to come together to reduce the feelings of isolation and loneliness that accompany grief and loss. 

We are all connected by our love for the ocean - how being in, on, or around the water can be healing - and facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration as long-held views about the grief experience evolve.  Together we aim to foster meaningful connection, supported by nature.

Half Moon Bay, California

USA

  • A woman smiling and holding a bouquet of flowers on the beach, with ocean waves in the background.

    Kelsey Ellis, MA CCLS

    FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • A woman in a wetsuit standing on a beach smiling, with surfers holding surfboards in the ocean behind her and cliffs in the distance.

    Gaia Pazienti

    PROGRAM DIRECTOR & FACILITATOR

  • Mylah de la Rosa

    TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS HEAD & FACILITATOR

  • Smiling woman with curly hair, wearing a headband and earrings, standing outdoors near a tree.

    Aneea Jean Toomajian MA LMFT

    FACILITATOR

  • Person in a wetsuit walking on a sandy beach near the ocean during sunset or sunrise.

    Alex Greenwald

    FACILITATOR

  • A smiling woman with long hair in a green puffer jacket standing on a beach with the ocean in the background.

    Grace Garey

    FACILITATOR

  • Woman surfing in ocean with tropical island and palm trees in background.

    Kianna Miller

    FACILITATOR

  • A young woman with long dark hair looking upward and smiling, wearing a sleeveless top and a necklace, with a blurred background.

    Michelle Q. Slavik

    WAVES OF GRIEF COLLECTIVE CO FOUNDER

Seattle, Washington

USA

  • A woman with wet hair smiling at the camera on a rocky beach with the ocean and a cloudy sky in the background.

    Melissa Deeken LMHCA

    REGIONAL DIRECTOR & FACILITATOR

Santa Barbara, California USA

USA

  • A man and a woman sitting on rocks by the ocean, smiling, with a beach and green hills in the background.

    Stacy McCrory MA, LMFT

    REGIONAL DIRECTOR & FACILITATOR

Copalis, Washington

USA

  • A man with long blonde hair and a beard, wearing a black shirt and navy jacket, sitting outdoors with a field and hillside background, next to a white vase with pink and white flowers.

    Caleb Carr

    FACILITATOR

  • A woman smiling while lying on a surfboard in the water, with houses and trees in the background on a sunny day.

    Sarah Joan Carr, MSW, LICSWA

    FACILITATOR

Ventura, California USA

USA

  • A man taking a selfie on a beach with sand and ocean waves, cloudy sky in the background.

    Albert Balderas LMFT

    FACILITATOR

  • A woman wearing a hat is surfing on a wave in the ocean.

    Anna Selena Cho, PsyD, LMFT, ATR

    FACILITATOR

  • A man with dark hair and a slight beard smiling, wearing a colorful palm tree patterned shirt, standing outdoors against a concrete wall with green plants in the background.

    Dave Sher AMFT/ APCC

    REGIONAL DIRECTOR & FACILITATOR

  • A woman with long dark hair smiling and looking over her shoulder at the camera, standing on a beach during sunset with pastel pink and blue sky and calm water.

    Gina Gregory, LCSW

    FACILITATOR

San Diego, CA

USA

  • A woman in a black wetsuit standing on a sandy beach, holding a purple surfboard and making a shaka sign, with the ocean and people in the background.

    Jasmine Montoya

    REGIONAL DIRECTOR & FACILITATOR

  • A woman sitting cross-legged, smiling and looking to her left, wearing a sleeveless top and patterned pants, with long wavy hair.

    Sara Comp

    FACILITATOR

Cemagi Beach, Bali 

  • Woman smiling on a sandy beach holding several black and white striped seashells covered in sand.

    Jarin Wadiwalla

    REGIONAL DIRECTOR & FACILITATOR

Gambia,

Africa

  • A woman with short dreadlocks smiling and posing with her hand on her hip, holding a sign that says 'I'm tired of feeling broken'. She is outdoors at a beach or sandy area with a wooden structure and other people in the background.

    Ngoneh Jagne

    REGIONAL DIRECTOR & FACILITATOR

Cocoa Beach, FL

USA

  • Woman surfing in the ocean on a sunny day with clouds in the sky.

    Darlene Bunch LCSW (she/they)

    REGIONAL DIRECTOR & FACILITATOR

Chicago, IL

USA

  • Close-up of a woman with dark hair outdoors near the water, wearing a black jacket and gray scarf.

    Kelsey Hails

    FACILITATOR

  • Calm ocean waves with a pastel-colored sky at dusk or dawn.

    Leigh Heckman

    REGIONAL DIRECTOR & FACILITATOR

Dicky Beach, QL

AUSTRALIA

  • Smiling woman with long wavy hair wearing a black sleeveless top at the beach with the ocean and sky in the background.

    Lisa Wallis BA MSW (Q)

    REGIONAL DIRECTOR & FACILITATOR

  • A woman with blonde hair holding a surfboard on a beach, with other surfers in the background and ocean waves visible.

    Dr. J'aime Morrison, Ph.D

OUR PARTNERS

  • ARM OF CARE

  • TAYLOR FAMILY FOUNDATION

  • HYDROTHEORY

  • MEWATER FOUNDATION

  • MOURNING SURF

  • MY PEAK FOUNDATION

  • TWOCAN RETREATS

Interested in joining the collective?

Join the Waves of Grief Collective