top of page

My Story

Dr. Lara Schultz specializes in Grief counselling.

We are all storied with grief. My own loss history profoundly shapes who I am, how I work, and my understanding of grief. From the roots of significant death and loss in my early life, I have focused my education and career on the psychology of grief for the past 20 years. The learning I have gained has been inspired, deepened, and confirmed by the courageous and honest persons whom I have met in the face of their own losses.

​

When we turn towards grief in ways that are safe enough and supported, we can begin to process the loss and move forward with it. Grief can be lonely. We don’t have to grieve alone.

​

My counselling approach is characterized by collaboration, empathy, compassion, and integrity. I provide a trusting and safe space to be with the depths of your grief and to recognize your strengths and resilience.

 

Fundamental to my practice is my value of relationship and belief in the innate human capacity to learn, grow, and heal in desired ways. It has been my privilege to walk alongside and support many diverse people in their

grief journeys.

​

Outside of counselling, I am most at home in nature, with animals, in the company of good relationships, and in the written word. 

​

I have a deep love and respect for the ocean. Its simultaneous constancy and ever-changing state reminds me of grief. I have learned that the more time I spend at the ocean, the more I can hold it inside as a source of enduring strength and a reminder of persisting change. I am able to stand on my own at the shore and be with the ebbs and flows, depths and shallows, give and take of the tides. And if I choose to venture further out to sea, I lean into the foundation of a trusted support, like a steady boat, or the companionship of my family and friends who also understand the nature of the ocean.

My Credentials

My professional experience in community, educational, and private settings contribute to my understanding of how to use practical and research-based approaches to collaboratively help you work towards your goals. I completed my doctorate in Counselling Psychology at the University of Calgary in 2012 and a postdoctoral fellowship in end of life, grief, and bereavement in the USA.

 

I am a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists and a Canadian Certified Counsellor. My professional memberships include the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta and the Association of Death Education and Counseling (ADEC). Reflecting my commitment to ongoing learning, I continue to pursue professional training in the field of psychology and remain infinitely curious to the many teachings in loss and change.

Academic Research

  • University of Calgary, PhD Dissertation: The Lived Experience of Parental Suicide Bereavement for Emerging Adults

  • University of Victoria, MA Thesis: The Influence of Maternal Loss on Young Women’s Experience of Identity Development in Emerging Adulthood

Selected Publications

  • Schultz, L. and Laverty, A. (2020). The loss of loneliness in emerging adults. In D. L. Harris (Ed.), Non-death loss and grief: Context and clinical implications. (pp. 157-169). New York: Routledge.

  • Schultz, L. (2014). Motherless daughters: A twenty-year retrospective. ADEC Forum: The quarterly publication of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, 40(3), 12-13.

  • Strong, T., & Schultz, L. (2010). Asking and answering deconstruction questions from within counseling dialogues. In J. D. Raskin & S. K. Bridges (Eds.), Studies in meaning 4. (pp. 125-153). New York: Pace University Press.

  • Laverty, A. and Schultz, L. (2010): Grief and bereavement in a post-secondary context. Canadian Association of College and University Student Services Monograph. Available through http://www.cacuss.ca/

  • Schultz, L. (2007). The influence of maternal loss on young women’s experience of identity development in emerging adulthood. Death Studies, 31(1), 17-43.

Selected Conference Presentations

  • Schultz, L. & Laverty, A. (April 2018). Lessons of Death: Development of a University Postvention Framework.  Presentation at the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) 40th Annual Conference. Pittsburgh, PA.

  • Schultz, L. & Laverty, A. (April 2017). Loneliness as nonfinite loss: Experiences of emerging adults.  Presentation at the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) 39th Annual Conference. Portland, OR.

  • Schultz, L. (June 2016). Bereavement after parent suicide: Understanding grief, supporting adjustment. Poster Presentation at the Canadian Psychological Association Annual Convention. Victoria, BC.

  • Schultz, L. & Laverty, A. (April 2016). Multiple murders: Navigating a collective journey of loss.  Presentation at the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) 38th Annual Conference. Minneapolis, MN.

  • Schultz, L. (May 2015). Postvention for student survivors of suicide bereavement. Presentation at the Alberta Student Services Conference. Calgary, AB.

  • Schultz, L. (April 2013). Living on after parental suicide in adolescence. Poster presentation at the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) 35th Annual Conference. Hollywood, CA.

  • Laverty, A. & Schultz, L. (May 2010).  Reviewing institutional responses to bereavement and loss.  Presentation at the Alberta Student Services Conference. Olds, AB.

  • Schultz, L. (May 2008). Death and self: Influence of maternal loss on young women’s identity. Presentation at the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) 30th Annual Conference. Montreal, QC.

Other Professional Activities

I offer graduate-level presentations on grief and loss counselling, and serve on the review committee for the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) annual conference. These opportunities support diversity in my work and facilitate my continued engagement in the field of grief and bereavement. 

bottom of page