About the Author

Photo of the Author, Candice Courtney
Photo Credit: Andy Rodriguez Photography

Candice Courtney's husband died in December of 1998, three-and-a-half years after the death of her father. As a result of her own experiences, Ms. Courtney saw a need for support that brought greater meaning into the journey. She began working with individuals and families creating rituals to support them as they moved through the difficult, and often unfamiliar, passages of approaching death and grieving loss.

Ms. Courtney has an extensive background in the area of ritual. Since 1995, she has designed, written, and performed more than 200 ceremonies for life passages, including weddings, funerals, births, divorces, retirements, and milestone birthdays. She finds the rites associated with anniversaries and seasons, as well as life's everyday rituals, equally as intriguing as the major ceremonies. She has studied ritual in cultures worldwide and the essential role it has played throughout human history.

Ms. Courtney's professional presentations include organizations such as the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), Hospice and Palliative-Care Nurses Association (HPNA), and the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), of which she is a member. Her articles on coping with serious illness and grief have appeared in publications nationally. She also presents interactive workshops to help professionals include supportive ritual in the dying and bereavement processes.

Ms. Courtney is currently writing a book on rituals to support those mourning a loss.

Available for workshop presentations and speaking engagements.
Contact: Candice@HealingThroughIllness.com