about

Terri Demontrond

I’m so sorry for your loss, and I know from my own personal experience how hard it is to seek support and absorb resources early in grief.  Allow me to help you with that.

Losing a child or children is the hardest life experience a human is forced to face. That you are seeking support is an act of courage. Stepping into the ‘what’s next’ is difficult. I’m grateful you’re here. Together we will create a safe space to share, learn about traumatic grief, and grow your community of compassionate companions who have their own story of child loss.

 I’m Terri, mom to my firstborn Thomas, age 51 - and Misty Dawn, forever 35.  
I’m a native Houstonian.

 Since I was a child it’s been necessary to create a peaceful environment for myself inside and out.  My childhood was filled with chaos and was unsafe. As a result of that early home life I developed skills that helped me survive.  I have always been a helper, a caregiver and a nurturer.  I love people and bring calm, compassion, and empathy into all situations.

 As a young adult my quest for wholeness and for wellness grew.  I began seeking and acquiring certifications in healing modalities;

~ Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy

~ Healing Touch

~ Reiki Master

~ Martha Beck certified Life Coach

~ Wholistic Nutritional -Clayton College

Then my beautiful only daughter, after decades of mental health challenges and self medicating with substances, decided to end her life.  It was August 1, 2012.

 

My world stopped.

Together we’d worked so hard for over 20 years toward her wholeness, to stabilize her health and wellbeing.  I never once considered or believed it wouldn’t eventually work out.  As her mother I carried the HOPE banner Every. Single. Day.

 So, even though I could barely breathe, and as I toppled down into the depths of that ‘dark night of the soul’ we’ve heard about, I did what I am accustomed to doing…I began seeking a lifeline, searching to find someone who could help me survive life without her.  

I was so fortunate to come across Dr. Joanne Cacciatore, Founder of the MISS Foundation and the Selah Carefarm. It was September 2013 and I was coming out of the shock and deep grief fog of the first year, feeling so much more than I felt I could handle.  

 Dr. Jo’s ATTEND model methods slowly but surely pulled me from the depths.  And our time together eventually led me to become a part of the MISS Foundation/Selah Carefarm team.   Her work is helping millions of people around the world who’ve had to experience and endure the loss of a beloved child

I have completed Dr. Jo’s Compassionate Bereavement Care (CBC) courses multiple times including the Advanced Skills Course.

Compassionate Bereavement Care Practitioner and
Peer Mentor for the MISS Foundation

 October 2013 – Present

  • Facilitate Zoom meetings to counsel and support families who endured traumatic loss as well as virtual Support Groups

  • Reached out to Mentor applicants and conducted interviews

  • Trained new Mentors via Zoom 

  • Processed intakes for families entering the MISS program via email, video and phone calls 

  • Researched resources, put together informational packets, and sent them to families entering the program

  • Used all data compiled during intake to connect families entering the program with an appropriate mentor

  • Co-coordinated fundraiser for the Foundation 

  • Assisted in co-coordinating CBC programs when needed

  • Responded via email and phone to all questions from families and mental health professionals about resources offered by the MISS Foundation

  • Assist in facilitating retreats for families to the MISS Foundation’s therapeutic Selah Carefarm in Sedona, AZ 

  • Serve as the Hospitality Coordinator for families coming for a visit to the Carefarm

Misty Dawn and I publisheD an
article for the Rebelle Society

Not long after Misty died I wrote a chapter for a book titled “Reflections on Mortality”, and later submitted and excerpt that was published online by e-zine Rebelle Society.  

  • “It has been a privilege knowing and working with Terri; she is an incredibly gentle, generous, and compassionate soul. Her contributions to the Selah Carefarm have been extensive. She was instrumental in developing and leading the Selah Carefarm mentor program connecting newly bereaved parents and family members to their grieving peers; she is an incredible mentor to several bereaved mothers; she is an empathetic leader in grief support group counseling sessions; she led groups of bereaved parents through Dr. Joann Cacciatore’s Bearing the Unbearable Wisdom Academy; and the list goes on.”

    -Dr. Cheryl Pence, LPC, NCC
    Grief Counselor, Selah Carefarm

  • “Terri, while dealing with the worst pain imaginable herself, has found room in her big heart to help others navigate these wild waters. With her, you feel heard, seen, and held. She is a compassionate and beautiful soul.”

    -Sheila White

  • “To work with Terri is to work with a trusted and wise friend. She is calm and present, circumspect and responsive, and she is a sage for all time.  Her capacity to hold space for others with unparalleled tenderness is supernatural.  I trust her without reservation and recommend time with her as salve for shattered open hearts.”

    -Dr. Joanne Cacciatore…

  • “Finding Terri one month after the death of my child was a literal lifeline for me.  In the depth of shock and horror, Terri’s voice on the other end of the phone was a beacon of light and her presence was an anchor. Her words were so gentle and kind.  She was someone who knew how I felt and had once been where I was.  She offers deep compassion, loving presence, wisdom and strength with humility and grace. Terri has walked the path of grief and heartache and has committed her life to being of service to the bereaved, especially bereaved parents.  I trust her completely to hold and accompany the broken hearted with her heart of gold.”

    -Monique Miyake
    Bereaved parent, Hospice Nurse and Chaplain

Certificates and Certifications