Emily E. Harrison, MA, LPC of Blue Note Psychotherapy

02/03/2026

Grief doesn’t only come after death. For many people living with chronic illness or disability, loss happens again and again—in changes in function, roles, and sense of self. These experiences can be deeply painful and often go unrecognized, even by the people around them.

Our latest blog explores the grief of chronic illness and disability—why changes in physical ability, identity, and future expectations can trigger profound loss, how that grief shows up in the body and mind, and what it means to build meaning and a revised sense of self over time.

If you or someone you care about has struggled with loss that doesn’t look like “typical grief,” this article offers a compassionate explanation grounded in both everyday reality and clinical understanding.
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Blue Note Psychotherapy

Explore how chronic illness and disability can lead to profound grief, identity shifts, and loss of function. Learn how these changes affect daily life, relationships, and self-story—and how to navigate them with compassion.

02/03/2026

A dive into the Tasks of Mourning from the clinicians at Blue Note Psychotherapy.

Learn J. William Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning: accept the loss, process grief, adjust to life without your loved one, and maintain a lasting connection. Explore trauma-informed grief support strategies.

01/29/2026

Sharing a message on anticipatory grief from my wonderful colleagues at Blue Note Psychotherapy.

“When a loss is expected but hasn’t happened yet, grief often begins early.

This is called anticipatory grief—the emotional experience of living with uncertainty, ongoing loss, and awareness of what is coming. It commonly affects caregivers, families, and people facing serious or life-limiting illness, including cancer.

Anticipatory grief can show up as anxiety, emotional exhaustion, guilt, role confusion, or moments of deep sadness that arrive before any goodbye has occurred. It can also include meaning-making, reflection, and preparation for change.

This new blog explores:
• What anticipatory grief is and how it differs from grief after death
• Common forms of anticipatory grief and how it presents
• What research shows about coping, growth, and social support
• Anticipatory grief in the context of cancer and terminal illness
• How meaning-making can support emotional resilience during uncertainty

Read more here:
https://www.bluenotepsychotherapy.com/blog-1-1/anticipatory-grief-when-loss-is-known-but-not-yet-realized

Grief does not always wait for loss to occur—and support can begin before it does.”

Anticipatory grief occurs before a loss, especially during terminal illness or cancer. This article explores types of anticipatory grief, research on coping and growth, and how meaning-making supports emotional resilience.

01/28/2026

Sharing this lovely grief tip. It’s a small act of grief connection with big benefits.

12/03/2025

A little psychoeducation we all need right now in support of Grief Awareness Week and the onslaught of surviving the holidays.

09/15/2025

Language matters.
Blue Note Psychotherapy

08/26/2025

08/26/2025

My colleagues and I at Blue Note Psychotherapy are honored to offer a virtual Grief and Loss Clinical Consultation Group every other Friday at 11am beginning September 12th. This is an undertaking very near and dear to our hearts, and one we hope to foster and grow in response to the particular clinical needs of the group participants. Whether you identify as a longtime grief specialist, a grief dabbler, a grief newbie, or just grief curious - all are welcome!

Beyond the prototypical grief experiences defined by death loss and bereavement, we will expand into the areas of ambiguous loss, disenfranchised grief, complex grief and loss, attachment loss, traumatic loss, collective loss, secondary loss, climate grief, and more as we unpack the many forms loss takes and offer immediately applicable means of attending to grieving clients in the here-and-now.

When it comes to clinical grief education, we know that there is little to no standardization in our field and a tremendous lack of grief literacy, and thus compassionate spaces for gaining the knowledge and skills to support the ever-growing presence of loss in our clients’ lives as well as our own.

Our grief consultation group will be attentively facilitated by Emily E. Harrison, LPC, CGCS, Erin Spalding, LCSW-S, and Katie Mozier, NCC, LPC-A, supervised by Brittany Whallen, LPC-S.

Erin teaches grief and loss at the UT graduate school of social work and was clinical and program director at The Christi Center for 17 years, in addition to founding The Central Texas Grief Consortium. We are all members of the Association of Death Education and Counseling, have trained with the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, and received foundational clinical grief exposure through our collective time with Hopsice Austin, the Austin Center for Grief and Loss, and The Christi Center, in addition to our mentors, supervisors, and grief therapists who imparted invaluable knowledge of grief processes.

Please reach out with any questions or to discuss more about the scope of our consultation group. Additional information can be found on our website as well. And do not hesitate to inquire about sliding scale rates as our initiative is one of accessibility to all clinicians.

03/20/2025

Amazing camp run by amazing people!

Hospice Austin is now accepting applications for Camp Brave Heart, a free bereavement camp for children and teens who have lost a loved one.Subscribe to our ...

02/12/2025

Sharing a wonderful clinical opportunity to work directly with my mentor, Dr. Katy Swafford, and our Eidetic colleagues through the process of imagery and imagination, and applied systems theory. The work is both profound and extensive while remaining elegantly simple and accessible to everyone. Dr. Swafford’s unique knowledge and reworking of Eidetic principles is integral to my work as a trauma psychotherapist and grief + loss specialist. Since my first Tiger image 8 years ago, the work still remains the most personally transformational of any modality in my own healing process. So yes, 5 out of 5 stars; highly recommend! 🐅 Eidetic Institute

Join our Tiger Yoga workshop, a unique asynchronous, 6-week program exploring Eidetic Imaging through vivid exercises like The Tiger Exercise, The Golden Tiger, The Tiger in Shangri-La, and more! Using an “image-go-round” format, you’ll experience imagery, reflect through writing, and engage in shared co-consciousness. Facilitators provide personalized responses, deepening mind-body-emotional awareness.

Facilitators:
🔵 Dr. Katy Swafford – Founder of the Eidetic Institute, expert in experiential and family therapy. Author of Eidetic Systems Therapy: How to Use Somatic Imaging for Effective Treatment

🔵 Darius Hawk Sayers, MA, LPC-Associate– Veteran & therapist integrating Eidetic Imaging to support trauma recovery for service members and first responders. (Supervised by Bill McHenry, PhD, LPC-S)

🔵 Natalie Collazo, LPC-Associate– Therapist with a focus on grief and loss, founder of Archway Healing, and co-chair at the Eidetic Institute. (Supervised by Katelyn Williams, LPC-S)

🔹 Earn CEUs🔹Flexible, Self-Paced Learning🔹 Experiential & Interactive

📩 Contact us: contactus@eideticinstitute.com
Register: https://www.eideticinstitute.com/workshops

We look forward to welcoming you!

01/01/2025

Sending warm wishes to all at the start of 2025!
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An offering from Blue Note Psychotherapy to consider as you transition into the new year.

As the new year approaches, we welcome the invitation to look back at this past year to take stock of battles fought, lessons learned, and goals achieved and/or in progress. We reflect on what we want to jettison from our day-to-day lives and what we would like to carry with us into the new year. Th

12/21/2024

A reminder to be gentle with yourself during the hustle and bustle of the holidays….. 🫶🏻
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Gratefully borrowed from Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff, Ph.D.
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Blue Note Psychotherapy

The holiday season can be a time of joy, connection, and also stress. These self-compassion phrases are gentle reminders to nurture yourself during this busy time. Save this post to use whenever you need a moment to pause and reconnect with kindness. 💛

Which phrase speaks to you most? Share in the comments!