Pete Paternostro, MHC-LP

My Experience

The program has been helpful and on some occasions I have referred to the book/assignments when feeling a little overwhelmed with grief.

My Experience

Peter was a great guide in this course. He was patient and supportive- a safe place to vent at as well.

My Experience

Pete is an extremely kind and educated person who utilizes both his textbook knowledge and personal knowledge to create a lasting experience. When most people shared their "lived experiences" in a session, it can create a shift in focus within the environment that can cause the participant to disengage - Pete uses his experiences in a way to help shape the lessons he's teaching and does a great job ensuring the focus is still on the client.

My Experience

As the program shares, grief comes in a variety of different forms; loss of a person, loss of self, loss of pet, etc.. The program gives you not only the tools to cope with the loss you're specifically experiencing, but a greater image. As someone who lost her mother only a few months before her wedding, I was able to learn how to cope with her absence, while also learning how to deal with the loss of "self" that getting married can sometimes cause. The program also completely changed how it is I view grief. I was also taught some pretty old school ideals: there are stages of grief, "you could have it worse", "at least they're in a better place", etc.. It helped me realize grief is not linear, and some situations in life are a lot harder than others (even the most unexpected ones). I'm grateful that this program was in no way preachy, it did not heavily rely on religious undertones, and made me feel like a real person, going through real issues, that can't be easily explained.