About

Founder Biography

Samantha Gertner, MA, is a Thanatologist and Bereavement Consultant who works with individuals, groups, and facility staff to educate about grief, in all forms. She works to assist in processing grief at any stage, as well as planning end of life care, facilitating arrangements, and offering companion services for planning and completion of arrangements. Samantha also provides Caregiver Stress Management and Compassion Fatigue prevention & awareness training.

Samantha believes that the compassion we receive while mourning and grieving is a pure expression of love for humanity and a defining feature of how life is lived from culture to culture. She believes that death observances are how we celebrate life and focused her studies on multicultural perspectives on bereavement to best assist each client’s background and religious preferences. Samantha seeks to put conversations about end of life into the community’s consciousness in hopes of fostering healthier death attitudes within the local population, as well as general society.

Samantha completed her Masters Practicum by conducting anecdotal research with local Holocaust survivors in her hometown New Jersey area. Samantha is trained in death notification, skilled & empathetic listening, and crisis/disaster triage management. Samantha holds a Masters in Thanatology, a Certificate degree in Gerontology, a Bachelors in Lifespan Development Psychology, and a Bachelors in French Literature from Hood College

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Mission Statement

Gertner Grief Consulting LLC aims to facilitate bereavement and death education for individuals and groups in order to ease suffering and promote healthy end of life attitudes. Compassionate Guidance Through Grief and Mourning.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Lifespan Development Psychology, Hood College

Master’s Degree in Thanatology, Hood College

Graduate Certificate in Gerontology, Hood College

Disclaimer

Dear Client,

This form is to disclose to you the nature of the consultation you will receive from Gertner Grief Consulting LLC. Please carefully read the following and either sign and return or reply electronically with a statement of your understanding. Keep this for your own records.

Ms. Gertner is a Thanatologist with a MA. The state of New Jersey does not categorize this area of academia for licensing. Her services are geared toward skilled listening, empathetic response, and academic/researched-based guidance.

Ms. Gertner is not a therapist or counselor. HIPAA laws do not apply to Ms. Gertner’s consultations.

All conversations are guaranteed to be kept discreet and confidential. All session notes exist only in hard copy by default. Only with your consent as the client will electronic copies be created.

Information will not be released to any other practitioners or entities without express consent from you, the client, unless required by law.

Information may be used for research purposes (publication in peer-reviewed journals), but anonymity will be maintained at all times. Consultation discussions may be utilized in anecdotal reporting for demonstrative purposes in Ms. Gertner’s academic literature. Information may be summarized or shortened for these purposes. If you do not consent to this please indicate clearly below.

Informed Consent for Consultation:

I hereby consent that I have read and understand the statements above regarding the nature of Ms. Gertner’s consultation policies and practices.

Client Name_________________ Client Signature_________________ Date__________

Research Consent:

I hereby consent that information from my consultation may be used for academic research publication as described above.

Client Name_________________ Client Signature_________________ Date__________

Please do not use my information for academic publication.

Client Name_________________ Client Signature_________________ Date__________