Grief Center Staff
The death of a loved one can have a profound impact on the rest of one’s life. For many people, speaking with a trained grief counselor has helped them navigate the grieving process and the wide range of emotional challenges that come with loss.
At Alive, our grief center staff has experience working with a full spectrum of ages and life experiences. Thanks to our donors, services are offered on a sliding scale, and no one is turned away.
To learn more contact us at 615-963-4732 griefsupport@alivehospice.org.
Practicum & Internship Opportunities
Are you an undergraduate or graduate student in counseling or social work seeking a practicum or internship placement? At Alive’s Grief Center you’ll build clinical skills alongside experienced grief professionals, supporting children, teens, and adults through loss. Applications are open now and we’d love to hear from you.
Grief Counselors
Teresa Yarbrough, RN, LPC
BSN, University of Texas-Arlington; MA, Colorado Christian University
Clinical Highlights: Experienced group facilitator including sudden loss and spouse loss. Trained in the Companioning Model of grief treatment with special proficiency in anticipatory loss, and grief in patients with advanced illness. Utilizes a Narrative Therapy approach to grief counseling with a special interest in poetry.
Sherri McLario, LPC
MS, Georgia State University; Graduate Diploma in Christian Counseling from Psychological Studies Institute
Clinical Highlights: Licensed Professional Counselor with extensive experience working with adolescents and adults. As a practitioner, Sherri utilizes a companioning model to support grieving clients. She provides trauma-informed, client-centered grief care in her groups and individual counseling.
Rebekah Near, LCAT, CAGS
Clinical Highlights: Rebekah is a licensed creative arts therapist (LCAT), artist, author, teacher, and dreamer. She has worked for several years in the Hospice and pediatric palliative care arena integrating expressive arts into the field of Thanatology, with a research focus on how expressive arts therapy can transform the grieving process with children/ adolescents who are dying and or bereaved. Rebekah is an international and national presenter on the expressive arts and grief. She takes a person centered humanistic, creative and somatic approach to engage with clients of all ages. Rebekah believes that unlike any other method the arts offer unique ways of understanding ourselves and the world around us. The arts allow us to enter our grief, building bridges between our emotions and intellect. (Near, 2012)
Tonia Nadeau, NCC, A-LPC/MHSP
Ed.S, Middle Tennessee State University
Clinical Highlights: Tonia is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate with a Specialist in Education degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and experience across educational and clinical settings. She has served as a dedicated educator for over 20 years in the Rutherford County School District, working with elementary, high school, and college students. At Alive, she works with both adults and youth navigating grief. Her trauma-informed approach integrates eclectic therapeutic modalities, including Brainspotting, Polyvagal-informed therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Kali Connection Therapy.
Pino Marchetti, LMSW
MSSW – University of Tennessee, Knoxville; BA – McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Clinical Highlights: Pino approaches grief work with compassion and curiosity, honoring the uniqueness of each person’s story and the many ways we carry love and loss. A native of Nashville, he has also spent many years living and working with international communities both here and abroad, which has deepened his appreciation for how people of different backgrounds experience grief. His clinical practice is grounded in Internal Family Systems (IFS), also known as “parts work,” which helps clients listen more deeply to their inner experience and cultivate a steadier sense of wholeness. Pino also draws from more than fifteen years of mindfulness practice across contemplative traditions and is certified in Compassionate Bereavement Care® through the MISS Foundation. Before joining Alive as a therapist, he volunteered with the organization for several years, supporting patients and their families. He provides bilingual therapy in Spanish and English and offers an affirming space for LGBTQIA+ individuals and families.
Mike Gardner, A-LPC, JD
MS – Clinical Mental Health Counseling – Lipscomb University; JD – Vanderbilt University
Clinical Highlights: Mike is an Associate Licensed Professional Counselor who strives to meet each client with empathy and genuine positive regard, seeing their inherent dignity and unique gifts. His theoretical foundation is built on Narrative Therapy and Internal Family Systems approaches. He seeks to understand each client’s grief in the context of their larger story and to help clients to find hope within themselves. Mike believes that each client’s grief story is their own and will not push any client to grieve a certain way or a certain timeframe. Mike is honored to walk alongside each client that is willing to share their grief journey with him.
Dr. Joy Samuels, LPC/MHSP
Alive Volunteer
Clinical Highlights: Dr. Joy R Samuels is a Licensed Professional Counselor (Mental Health Service Provider), a Fellow in Thanatology, and ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ, retired) She teaches in the graduate Clinical Mental Health Psychology Department at Lipscomb University, and presents the 1 Day ‘’Counseling Grief Clients’, and the 2 Day Treatment Certification Course: Evidence-Based Strategies for Helping Clients Make Meaning After Loss’‘ for PESI. Joy has over 35 years of experience as a licensed professional counselor, chaplain, and ordained minister.
Scott Marshall, Counseling Intern
M.Ed. Candidate, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Vanderbilt University
M.A., Psychology, Arizona State University
Clinical Highlights: Scott is a master’s-level counseling intern in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Vanderbilt University. He works from a person-centered, integrative approach and strives to create a supportive space where clients feel seen, heard, and respected. His work is informed by diverse lived and professional experiences in leadership and relationship-centered roles, giving him a grounded, real-world understanding of stress, transition, and interpersonal dynamics. He values collaboration, curiosity, and authenticity, and is committed to meeting clients where they are and honoring each person’s pace in the therapeutic process.
Administrative Staff
Ali Drescher, MA, LPC, Fellow in Thanatology
MAMFT, Southern Nazarene University
Professional Highlights: Ali is a Licensed Professional Counselor and the Senior Director of Psychosocial and Mission Based Services at Alive Hospice, overseeing the Grief Center, Community Outreach, and Alive’s Institute. With more than two decades of experience in program leadership, education, and bereavement care, she has developed innovative support programs, taught at the university level, and provided professional training nationwide. Ali is known for her engaging presentation style, collaborative leadership, and compassionate approach to supporting individuals, families, and communities.
Stephanie Larson, LMSW
MSSW, University of Tennessee Knoxville
Professional Highlights: Stephanie is the Assistant Director of the Grief Center at Alive. A Licensed Master Social Worker, she continues to provide individual and group support with a special focus on children, adolescents, and families. Stephanie integrates clinical expertise with creative, developmentally appropriate approaches and is trained in the Companioning Model, Multidimensional Grief Therapy, and Trauma and Grief Component Therapy.
Paige Tocash
BS Child and Family Studies, Ohio University
Professional Highlights: Paige is the Family and Children’s Program Manager at Alive, providing leadership for camps, family retreats, and the school-based initiative, Griefwise. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with bereaved children, adolescents, and families, developing specialized expertise in childhood grief and family-centered support. In addition to leading program development and expansion initiatives, Paige facilitates groups and programs that help young people and their caregivers build connection, resilience, and hope. Her work is grounded in Child Life principles and a commitment to creating meaningful grief support experiences for families.
Erin Cardinael
BA International Trade, Auburn University
Professional Highlights: Erin serves as Grief Team Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator at Alive Hospice, where she is often the first point of connection for individuals and families seeking grief support. She guides families to appropriate services, coordinates volunteers, and supports the daily operations of the Grief Center. With more than two decades of experience in leadership, customer service, and relationship building, Erin is known for her compassionate presence, attention to detail, and genuine ability to help others feel welcomed, supported, and heard. She is currently pursuing Death Doula education, furthering her commitment to companioning individuals and families through loss and grief.
