“You can’t truly heal from a loss until you allow yourself to fully process grief.”
When a loved one dies there are often no words to express the deep pain, shock and void one feels. Grief is a personal and complex journey and no two people experience grief the same way. You may be dealing with feelings of anger, sadness, guilt, denial, heartbreak, difficulty concentrating, and lethargy.
The emotional grief roller coaster can be overwhelming, and while nothing makes grief go away, being supported through this difficult time is a powerful and healing process.
Hello, my name is Karin Trujillo, and I am a certified life coach with over a decade of experience working with the bereaved. As your coach, I help you navigate the ever-changing emotions associated with grief. I provide a safe and supportive space with compassion, empathy and understanding where you can express, process and work through your grief. Together we will develop a tailored coaching plan and effective coping strategies that work for you.
Coaching Services
As your grief and loss coach my role is to support you by providing a safe harbor to express, process, and move through your grief. I guide you with custom tools and resources to utilize on your journey from the present into a place of greater meaning, purpose, fulfillment and peace.
The coach/client relationship is sacred and your confidentiality is held to the highest standard. What you say stays here. This work is built upon mutual respect, honesty and trust, involves a shared commitment to openness and compassion.
Free 30-minute consultation.
60-minute sessions available.
Session frequency based on your personal needs.
Video/Phone and in person sessions available.
Convenient scheduling times.
Discounted prepaid packages offered.
Priority registration for workshops.
My Story
I’m a Certified Life Coach with over a decade of experience working with adults experiencing grief. I began working with bereaved parents as a volunteer facilitating groups as a way to give back to the bereavement services community that supported me during my time of need.
My grief journey began in December of 2003, with the sudden death of my 11-yr-old daughter, Amanda. I was devastated and had no idea how I was going to survive this tragedy. Encouraged by friends, I attended a bereaved parent support group.
The group saved my life. I continued attending the support group until I was able to cope on my own. In addition to group therapy, I also found traditional psychotherapy, breath and massage therapy, expressive arts coaching, creative journaling, yoga and meditation to be tremendously valuable to both mind and body. It provided me with insight to myself and I learned about “triggers” (things that reminded me about my loss) and developed tools to effectively manage them.
In 2009, friends of mine lost their teenage son to cancer. At the time of his death there weren’t any active parent bereavement groups in our town and the thought of parents not having a support group to help them with their loss was unimaginable. I decided to start a bereaved parents support group. Eventually, I relocated the group from my home to Hospice of the North Coast, Carlsbad, CA, and then to The Elizabeth Hospice, Carlsbad, CA. where I continued co-facilitating the group for several more years until I moved to Oregon.
Upon arriving in Oregon, I joined WinterSpring Bereavement Services, Medford, OR. as a Board Member and began co-facilitating their Bereaved Parent Group. It was during this time that I realized I wanted to become a full-time grief coach. I enrolled in the Certified Life Coach Institute and officially became a Life Coach and launched my own business.
Testimonials
I joined a grief group about 4 months after I lost my son Hayden in 2019. Karin is one of the volunteers who leads the grief group. I instantly felt connected to her because of the deep suffering that comes with losing your child but also the compassion she shows and how accepting she is of every part of grief. She checks on me when I can’t bring myself to get to group and I never have to have a filter when talking about the pain, anger, rage, love, desperation, guilt and every emotion that comes with such deep loss.
The love she has for Amanda pours into the guidance and the support that she gives to countless people on this awful journey. Karin has been able to help me work through a lot of anger by normalizing it for me and offering ideas on ways to get anger and pain out of my body. Her heart, her listening and her advice have helped me survive and I am forever grateful for the guidance she shows me. As much as I wish this never happened, I am thankful for the strength that you share with me and so many others.
– Stacy
I met Karin about a month after my son passed away. She was a volunteer facilitator for a support group for parents who had lost a child. Hearing her experience and insight gave me the first glimmer of hope that maybe I, too, could survive this loss. Almost a decade later, Karin’s wisdom continues to provide me with hope and inspiration.
– Jesse
Frequently Asked Questions
What is grief coaching?
For many people, losing a loved one is the most lonely and painful part of life. Grief coaches specialize in counteracting that loneliness and pain through goal-setting and support. Grief coaching is a co-creative process between a grief coach and a client. Clients meet me, their grief coach, to identify personal goals they want from coaching. I support you in reaching your goal(s) through my expertise and guidance. I co-design unique, personalized plans to help clients process their grief, identify grief triggers and develop lifelong coping strategies to assist you along the way. Whether someone has been grieving for five weeks or five years, a grief coach can help them live with loss and feel like themselves again.
What goals can you help me with?
I help those experiencing grief and struggling to navigate the ever-changing emotions associated with grief. Together we create goals that help you process feelings of numbness, disbelief, despair, denial, and guilt so that you can re-engage in life and learn to effectively live with the loss of your loved one. We work on self-compassion practices, setting boundaries, identifying your needs and learning to express those needs to family and friends. I will help you explore new traditions and ways to honor your loved one’s memory.
Prepaid packages include?
Packages include weekly discounted 60-minute sessions, regular emails and texts of support and check-ins. Two 15-minute phone calls per month as needed. Individualized and detailed coping strategies, resource recommendations, and priority registration for all workshops.
Do you meet with clients virtually?
Yes. I can meet virtually with clients from all over the world.
Are you certified?
Yes. I completed my training in July, 2021, through the Certified Life Coach Institute. I have also been trained in Creative Journal Expressive Arts, and Sky Mountain Institute, Multi-Model Expressive Arts Training. In addition to my certifications, I have provided over 700 hours of direct grief support at Hospice of the North Coast, Carlsbad, CA, The Elizabeth Hospice, Carlsbad CA., and WinterSping Bereavement Services, Medford OR.