Our Story: It’s Personal

Justine was a successful, happily married meeting planner when her seemingly healthy husband died suddenly of a heart attack at age 44. Realizing she needed professional support to get through this shocking and excruciating loss, she set out to find a professional grief counsellor in Toronto.

Her first attempt was not a good match. Her second attempt was equally challenging.  Thankfully, Justine persevered and found the help she needed within eight weeks.  She didn’t know how lucky she was. Through a peer-led loss group, she heard many stories of people struggling to find the support they needed. It is now her goal and her passion to change that.

Believing that early intervention and care had such a positive impact on her healing journey, Justine is committed to providing others with the same opportunity. Thankfully, her sister Eileen is a social worker. The two have teamed up to provide expedient access to helpful resources and skilled, compassionate bereavement counsellors. Their long-term goal is to open an accessible, affordable bereavement centre that serves as a hub for those needing a helping hand through their grief journey.

Our Mission

To promote health for grieving adults by providing referrals to essential healing support services, including healthcare professionals, educational programming and community resources.

Our Grief Counsellors

Finding a grief counsellor in Toronto who is accessible, affordable and a good fit for your unique needs and personality can be challenging. That’s why we have done extensive research to bring together a community of caring, knowledgeable counsellors who specialize in grief and bereavement.

Our counsellors are not employed by us; rather they are independent practitioners who have chosen to become part of our community. All Good Grief! Bereavement Healing Services counsellors have been vetted for their professional credentials and commitment to providing expert, compassionate bereavement healing services. Our counsellor listings provide you with basic information about location and professional background. Complete the intake form to start the process and let us do the rest.

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Find a Grief Counsellor in Toronto

If you are ready to begin your healing process check out our list of bereavement counsellors.

Get Started

Join Our Professional Community

Want to offer your services to Good Grief! Bereavement Healing Services?

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Our Founders

Good Grief! Bereavement Healing Services is founded by dedicated sisters and co-founders Justine Silver and Eileen Jadd, both of whom have experienced first hand the excruciating pain of grief and the tremendous value of healing services.

Together, Eileen and Justine have set out to try to help others navigate through their grieving process and get the help they need without the obstacles Justine faced when her husband passed away suddenly at the age of 44.

Justine is a certified Event Planner and as well as a Peer Facilitator. Eileen is a Registered Social Worker and a Certified Bereavement Educator.

Eileen Jadd, MA,
RSW, Bereavement Educator

Co-Founder

Justine Silver,
BSc, Grief Care Professional

Co-Founder

Our Board Of Directors

Good Grief! Bereavement Healing Services relies on insight and guidance from board members who volunteer their time and professional expertise to assist with policy development, operational oversight and major organizational decisions.

Roy Blachowitz

Roy received his medical degree from the University of Cape Town, South Africa in 1985. He then spent two cold years working as a Family Physician in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. He joined Thornhill Medical Centre in 1991 after completing a family medicine residency at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Toronto teaching medical students in his practice. He is also on active staff at Mackenzie Health Hospital working in the Continuing Care Department and provides home based palliative care in the community.

Stephen Margles

Stephen is the owner of Jade Metals Corp., a privately-owned steel wholesaler in Toronto. Stephen graduated with Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto. He is the former Treasurer and Co-Chair of the Board of Directors at the Toronto Heschel School. He also volunteers his time as a baseball coach and team manager with youth teams at North Toronto and North York associations.

Gaela Mintz

Gaela Mintz is a dedicated clinician committed to supporting the well-being of individuals and families. Prior to establishing her full-time private practice, she worked in community mental health settings and at the central office of the Toronto District School Board, gaining broad experience across clinical and educational systems.
She is a Level II practitioner in Attachment-Based Family Therapy and is trained in Columbia University’s Prolonged Grief Therapy model. Her clinical work is further informed by extensive training in trauma-focused therapies and cognitive behavioural therapy, allowing her to provide thoughtful, evidence-based care tailored to each client’s needs.
In her private practice, Gaela provides counselling to individuals and families, and consults with agencies, residential summer camps, and probation services. She has extensive experience working within the LGBTQ+ community, both clinically and through the development of innovative programs, including parent support groups and a specialized summer camp program. Gaela has also worked extensively in the field of sexual violence prevention, sexual abuse treatment, and offence-specific therapy. In addition to her clinical work, she brings significant experience in supervision and facilitates case consultation groups for social work practitioners across private practice and healthcare settings.
She has served on numerous advisory boards for schools, non-profits, and charitable organizations, and currently sits on the Board of Good Grief Bereavement Healing Services. A sought-after speaker and workshop facilitator, Gaela presents at conferences, schools, camps, and community organizations. Her work also includes curriculum development for the National Film Board, as well as published writing in blogs and magazines focused on mental health and special populations.
Gaela holds a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and a Master of Arts in Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Anne Morais

Anne Morais has 20 years of grant writing experience and has raised over 31 million dollars to
support social service, health, employment, education, and youth programs in Toronto and abroad.
Her passion is logic models and outcome-based program development. Anne has delivered grant
writing workshops to over 100 non-profit agencies in the Greater Toronto Area. Previously, Anne sat
on the Research Ethics Board at Sunnybrook Hospital for six years representing the needs of
marginalized communities in the context of health research. Anne holds a Masters in Philosophy
and Bachelor of Education.

Seema Sarda

Seema is passionate about being part of mission-driven organizations that aim to improve the lives of people and communities. As the Director of Partnerships and Program Operations at Habitat for Humanity GTA, she supports families in achieving stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership . Seema possesses extensive expertise in partnership development, stakeholder relations and marketing.  By merging opportunities with strategic planning, she excels at creating mission-driven growth opportunities that are both realistic and impactful. Seema holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from McGill University and an MBA from Schulich School of Business, York University.

Reports

Senior Bereavement Pilot Project Impact Report | Funded by the Government of Canada New Horizons for Seniors Program

Read About It