Episode 118: A conversation with Joanne Cacciatore on therapeutic approaches to grief counseling

The Hospice Chaplaincy Show with Saul Ebema

Dr. Cacciatore specializes in counseling those affected by traumatic death. She works with and counsels families from all around the world who have experienced catastrophic deaths. Her therapeutic interventions are always presence-and-mindfulness based and include narrative, dialectical, and trauma-focused therapies. She also teaches meditation, mindfulness, and compassion and ahimsa practices to students and clients from around the world.

As an advocate of “green” mental health care after a traumatic experience, she is a member of the American Psychotherapy Association, the Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the National Center for Crisis Management. She spearheaded and directs the graduate Certificate in Trauma and Bereavement program at ASU.

Her research has been published extensively in peer reviewed journals such as The Lancet, Birth, Death Studies, Omega Journal of Death and Dying, Social Work, Social Work and Healthcare, and Families in Society.

Dr. Cacciatore received her Doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her Masters degree and Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Arizona State University. Her work has been featured in major media sources such as People and Newsweek magazines, the New York Times, Boston Globe, CNN, National Public Radio, and the Los Angeles Times.

She has been the recipient of many regional and national awards for her empathic work and service to people suffering traumatic grief. Among them, the Hon Kachina Award in 2007, the Sr Teresa Compassionate Care Award, the Empathic Therapist of the Year Award, Arizona Foothills Arizona Women Who Move the Valley Award, and the Parents of Murdered Children Father Ken Czillinger Award.