Lyn Prashant, PhD, FT,  is a certified grief counselor (John F. Kennedy University's Graduate School of Professional Psychology) with over 24 years experience in the field. Her training in bereavement counseling and her knowledge of somatic health care practices (she is a certified yoga instructor, massage therapist and physical education teacher) has led her to develop a unique and successful approach to grief counseling called "degriefing".

Lyn's combined academic, professional and personal experiences convinced her that grieving individuals with serious or lasting ailments would benefit from experiencing a holistic healing regime. Her training includes somatic studies with an emphasis on health care (she is a degreed physical education instructor, a certified yoga instructor and a certified massage therapist) as well as counseling services (she received her certification from the Grief Counseling Certification Program at JFK University, School of Graduate Psychology).

Lyn has significant first-hand experience of what it means to be in grief. Lyn gained an intimate knowledge of grief-related issues during the time she resided at the Living/Dying Project while supporting her husband through his final months. While there, she worked with Stephen and Ondrea Levine and the renowned Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Lyn's grief counseling work is inspired by her husband's untimely death.

She is one of the few professional grief counselors working in the United States to specifically address the somatic (related to the body) aspects of grief.

Though it may seem obvious that grieving individuals commonly experience a variety of physical symptoms (ranging from mild lethargy to severe insomnia, from general discomfort to specific pains, from a state of mild shock to indescribable "heartache"), many grief-counseling programs overlook or ignore the physical changes that accompany loss.

Unlike many existing treatment regimes, Degriefing employs both verbal and physical techniques to relieve an individual's emotional distress, mental anguish and physical discomfort.

Over the past 25 years she established a successful grief counseling practice working with individuals and families in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Lyn teaches internationally, lectures at local hospitals, universities, hospices, community based grief caregiver networks.

Lyn writes about grief-related topic and is known to be a captivating and engaging speaker in both English and Spanish. She is an approved provider of Continuing Education courses (CA) for healthcare practitioners. In addition to her private practice, Lyn teaches, lectures and writes about grief, the Degriefing Process and related topics.

• Grief Counselor, certified 1994 - present: counsels individuals, coupls, families, communities
• Massage Therapist, certified 1981 - present: treats individuals, teaches
• Yoga Instructor, certified 1996 - present:  teaches individuals and classes

• Graduate School of Psychology, John F. Kennedy University, Orinda, CA: Grief Counseling certification program
  
• Sivananda Vedanta Yoga Center, Grass Valley, CA: Teacher Training certification program
  
• Stephen/Ondrea Levine workshops, Oakland, CA: program coordinator (bodywork), instructor, somatic therapist
  
• Suicide Prevention and Community Counseling Services of Marin: internship, JFK University
  
• Alive and Well School, San Anselmo, CA - Lymphatic Massage and Visceral Palpation, Level 1-2 with Pat Wiltse; Deep Tissue and Soft Tissue Mobilization workshops, classes with Kim Santa; Core Energetics workshop with Dr. Siegmar Gerken; Polarity Therapy with Hanna Hammerli
  
• International School of Massage Therapy (I.S.M.T.); Swedish Massage certification class with Joseph Marszal, Judith Meskill; Anatomy/Physiology certification class with Carl Hangee-Bauer; Mally Method of Muscle Manipulation (deep tissue and range of motion technique) certification class with James Mally; Reflexology workshop with Anna Kaye; On-site Massage workshop with David Palmer
  
• Ohashi School of Shiatsu, New York, NY: Shiatsu, Level 1
  
• Trinity Metaphysical Center, Woodside, CA: Reiki, Level 1; Transmission/ Reverend Beth Gray
  
• Service Through Touch, San Francisco, CA: Massage for the Chronically Ill workshops with Irene Smith
  
• Conscious Living - Conscious Dying: intensive workshops with Stephen and Ondrea Levine
  
• Life/Death Transition Workshop: intensive workshop and private studies with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
  
• Helen Palmer Workshop (4 months private study): Psychic Focusing and Reading
  
• Richard Moss, M.D. Workshop: Opening the Heart Chakra and Energy Balancing training
  
• Leonard Orr Workshops (founder of the Rebirthing Movement): program assistant
  
• Dr. Ernest Pecci,  The Fisher Hoffman Process (Psycho-Spiritual Integration)
  
• University of Connecticut: B.S. Physical Education, 1970