About My Grief Support Program

Grief Circles - Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Community™ for Grief and Loss

Grief is a deeply personal and often isolating experience. Whether you’ve recently lost someone close to you, faced a life-altering change, or are feeling overwhelmed by emotions you can’t explain, this is a space where you are understood. I want you to know that you are not alone.

This grief support program is here to walk with you through every step of your journey. It is designed with empathy, compassion, and care to help you find healing and hope after loss. In these uncertain and painful times, you deserve a safe place to feel seen, supported, and guided.

Why This Program?

Grief can feel like an insurmountable weight that affects every part of your life—emotionally, mentally, and physically. It can be confusing, unpredictable, and at times, all-consuming. The support I offer is built to help you navigate this difficult experience in a way that respects your individual process, pace, and needs.

This program is not about “getting over” your grief, but about learning to live with it and eventually finding a new sense of peace. Through personalized coaching, group sessions, and a variety of resources, we provide the tools to help you make sense of your emotions, manage the pain, and discover a path toward healing.

Meet Yasemin Isler

I’m Yasemin, the founder of Grief Circles and Mindfulness, Compassion and Community for Grief™ support framework and program. My journey into grief support is personal as well as professional, shaped by both my experiences with loss and my dedication to helping others heal.

As someone who has personally navigated the painful depths of grief, including my parents and my husband, as well as having personally lived with and cared for loved ones with serious illnesses including my own child, I understand how isolating and confusing it can feel. I’ve experienced the heartbreak, the anger, and the overwhelming sense of loss that comes when life is turned upside down. But through my own journey, I also learned that healing is possible—even if it’s not easy, and it’s not linear.

Professionally, I am a certified thanatologist focused on bereavement and grief with 12+ years of experience, end-of-life doula (also known as death doula), mindfulness meditation and compassion teacher with multiple certifications and credentials, in addition to my graduate work on Mindfulness Studies with in depth focus on many facets of grief, and a professor of mindfulness. I’ve worked with countless individuals who have faced their own personal losses, and it is my passion to guide others through what can often be the most challenging time of their lives. My approach combines evidence-based techniques with the deep empathy that only comes from having been in those painful shoes myself.

I believe in the importance of meeting each person where they are in their grief journey—honoring the unique emotions and experiences that arise along the way. Everyone’s grief is different, and that’s why my program is designed to be flexible and tailored to your needs, whether your grief is due to a recent or long-ago loss. Whether you're seeking one-on-one guidance, a group setting, or self-guided resources, I am here to walk with you every step of the way.

Words of Appreciation

Why Work With Me as Your Grief Guide

Grief is one of the most human experiences we can go through—one that touches the heart, body, and spirit. It can bring us to our knees, shake everything we thought we knew, and leave us feeling profoundly alone. If you're in that place, please know you're not meant to walk it alone.

I'm not a licensed therapist. What I offer is different—rooted in deep presence, years of study, and the privilege of walking alongside thousands of grieving individuals over the past 12+ years. My work is grounded in both personal experience and professional practice, informed by research, contemplative tradition, and the wisdom of those I’ve supported.

What I Bring to Our Work Together

A Foundation of Training and Study

I hold a Master’s degree in Mindfulness Studies, where I focused on grief and resilience, and I’m currently continuing doctoral research in these same areas. My academic work explores how mindfulness and compassion can support people through grief in sustainable, meaningful ways.

In addition to this academic grounding, I’ve completed several specialized certifications:

• Certified Thanatologist (grief, death, and bereavement)

• Certified End-of-Life Professional (Death Doula)

• Certified Mindfulness & Compassion Teacher & Teacher Trainer

This training informs the framework I’ve developed over the years—a flexible, gentle, and evidence-informed way of walking with people through the pain and complexity of grief.

Years of Practical, Heart-Centered Experience

For more than a decade, I’ve supported grieving individuals in a wide variety of contexts: one-on-one, in groups, and as a certified hospice volunteer. I’ve been invited into people’s most tender moments—times of loss, endings, and remembrance—and I never take that trust lightly.

While I’ve worked with thousands of grievers, I approach each person with fresh eyes and an open heart. There is no “one-size-fits-all” in grief. Your experience is unique, and I’m here to honor that.

Mindfulness and Compassion as a Way Through

Grief can be unpredictable. It can feel heavy, disorienting, and at times, unmanageable. Mindfulness and compassion aren’t quick fixes—but they offer a steadying presence, a way to stay with what hurts without becoming lost in it. These practices are central to my approach, and they offer gentle tools to support you as you move through the waves of your own grief in your own way.

A Whole-Person, Integrative Approach

Drawing from both Western psychology and Eastern contemplative practices, I offer a holistic, integrative approach that supports emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Whether you’re in the early days of a loss or carrying grief that’s been with you for years, we can work together to find a path that feels honest, supportive, and grounded.

A Fellow Traveler

I come to this work not only as a professional but as someone who has also experienced deep personal loss. I know the disorientation, the silence, the longing. I don't presume to know exactly what you're going through—but I understand what it means to carry grief. That lived experience shapes how I show up: with presence, with empathy, and without judgment.

If You’re Looking for Support...

If you’re here, it’s likely because you're in pain—or someone you love is. I hope this gives you a sense of how I work and who I am. If my approach resonates with you, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.

You don’t have to do this alone.

→ You're welcome to reach out or book a session when you're ready.

- A bit more about me on MINDFUL LIVING - 

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