Job Interview: Grief counselor helps kids and families heal after loss

When tragedy strikes, we often hear about the first responders. But another group of professionals step in to help those who’ve experienced loss heal over the long term.

Cara Mearns-Thompson is the clinical director and co-founder of The Grief Club of Minnesota. Along with running operations, Mearns-Thompson still actively sees clients and works regularly as a grief counselor. When she and her co-founder Sarah Kroenke first started, they were in a tiny single room office.

“I would wait in my car until she was finished, and then I would come back and see my client,” Mearns-Thompson said.

Now their offices sit on more than a four acres of prairie in Chanhassen with three full-time therapists and three who work part-time. Mearns-Thompson says they anticipate they’ll have reached 4,000 visits by the end of 2024, a ten-fold increase from their first year.

And they provide these services entirely for free through the help of donations.

“I truly don’t see myself doing anything else. It is an honor to be able to walk alongside these families,” Mearns-Thompson said.

This conversation is a part of our “Job Interview” series, where we talk to everyday Minnesotans about the rewards and challenges of their work. This interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity. Click on the audio player for the original version.

What I actually do: I am supporting grieving children, teens, young adults and their families.

A great day at work: There was one time where I had a little kiddo, and he was about 4 years old, and he had a lot of anger, and I decided, let’s throw some eggs. We would write on each egg different things that he was angry about, and then he could just chuck it. He could chuck it at that cardboard. And I think some of what was so fun about that for him, as well as therapeutic, where he could actually name these different things he was mad at, but he could get rid of it.

A not-so-great day at work: A lot of people think that it’s very, very sad. It obviously is. We balance that. What’s hard is that people don’t understand the full spectrum of grief counseling.

What I’ve learned: This job has taught me to appreciate life. I talk to kids and adults, and I recognize how important it is to enjoy the everyday moments.

The Grief Club of Minnesota provides services to those under the age of 25 who primarily have experienced the death of a sibling or a parent. The organization also provides services to adults who have experienced the death of a child aged 25 and under, or have experienced the death of a spouse/partner and have children under the age of 25.

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