Michelle Vickers is a Grief Recovery Method Specialist in Southeast Wyoming.
Having experienced the losses of her parents, pets, faith, and friendships, Michelle had learned one main tool with which to cope: move on. However, she had no idea how to do so. The unhelpful substance of what others told her during these painful times could be summed up in a short phrase-"That's life."
An alcohol problem and eventual divorce from her husband of 23 years, Steven, in 2014 sent her into what felt like an unshakable darkness as she questioned many long-held beliefs about her life’s purpose and what the future held. She was challenged to find healthy ways to rebuild a life without her husband and all that had been familiar for the entirety of her adult life. The hopes, dreams, and expectations on which they had built their life together were shattered. Making a living for the first time on her own, after being a full-time mother and homemaker, was menacingly daunting. Being supportive of their five children and others affected by the split of the family meant she had to "be strong for others." No longer fitting into the community in the same way she had for decades felt extremely lonely.
A family member sent her The Grief Recovery Handbook which she read and placed on a shelf.
Several years later, Michelle gathered with a group of ladies to share the practical and emotional challenges each was facing with separation or divorce. Though these warm, informal meetings did bring a measure of short-term relief, she felt that there must be a more effective and lasting solution to the heartaches they each endured.
Desiring to be better equipped to help others with life’s challenges, in 2021 she obtained her Spiritual Coaching Certification from Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. While seeking guidance in how to specialize in her calling as a coach, the suicide of a friend made Michelle more acutely aware of the effects of heavy grief on a human’s capacity for happiness and overall wellbeing. Clients needed immediate help to heal from the variety of painful losses they would bring up in conversations with her daily.
When Steven's suicide in 2022 brought Michelle the deepest pain she had ever experienced, it was clear to her that she needed a dynamic means of facilitating her own healing: tools that she could also share with others. It was then that she remembered the purple book on the shelf. Upon rereading it, she immediately contacted the Grief Recovery Institute to learn more.
The Grief Recovery Method, the only Evidence Based grief program, provided her with the relief she sought from the deep pain she had accumulated throughout her lifetime, restoring joy that she had not believed possible to experience again. This program that had already helped millions of people worldwide now brings healing to the suffering people of her own community.
If living happily ever after seems like a far-off tale while carrying the pain of heartbreaking loss, whether recent or long ago, Michelle will meet you where you are, with compassion and without judgement. As a Certified Spiritual Coach and Grief Recovery Method Specialist, she offers one-on-one sessions in person and online, as well as GRM Support Group Programs in Platte County, Wyoming.