Thomas J. Pier (he, him)

Supporting individuals & families in all realms of Health, Healing & Life Transitions - coping with chronic illness; managing acute physical or mental illness; adjusting to chronic physical or mental health diagnosis; living better with chronic pain; healing after medical treatments; navigating uncertainty; managing cancer survivorship & chronic disease management; facing dying authentically.

Certified oncology social worker. No one needs to face cancer alone & good medicine is not enough! 28 years in integrated cancer care using a person-centered, mindfulness-based approach. Honed expertise in supporting people in all phases of cancer - in treatment, post-treatment survivorship, end of life. Other serious & chronic illnesses, eg. cystic fibrosis, HIV, autoimmune diseases, dialysis, cardiac conditions, and those thriving after organ transplantation.

Grief is heavy. "There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition & of unspeakable love." I support people learning to live with the absence of a loved one as they build a new life. Grief may be the heaviest human emotion. Healing is not about finding "closure," rather movement forward, living life that includes a lost loved one.

The best way to be prepared for what is to come is to live fully in the present moment. A retreat teacher said this to me years ago as I fretted and worried about approaching family changes. In that moment, I realized I could see clearly and relate to worry, anxiety, regrets, and pain in a different way. Not one that magically made everything better, but, with attention to present moment experiences with openness, curiosity & willingness to be with things as they are, created space for clarity.

Narrative ideas include the externalization of problems such that one can see oneself and one's values as separate from the problem, letting go of ideas like "I am an anxious person," and shifting to "I am actually from anxiety's influences at specific times and it impacts my life in these specific ways... Therefore, I am able to get the upper hand on it when it is harassing me." Dominant ideas that are oppressive can be deconstructed and we can come out from under Normal's damaging gaze.

Running away from problems only increases the struggle. Understanding them leads to overcoming them. ACT develops psychological flexibility combining mindfulness skills with practices of self-acceptance. While working to accept thoughts and feelings, values-based commitments help you make change. Using ACT, you see more clearly & commit to facing problems head-on rather than avoiding stressors. Know yourself better & commit to actions that help you embrace experience & stand up to any challenge.

Loss leading to grieving happens in many life transitions. Divorce, job loss, moving, end of friendship or colleague relationship. It even happens in the context of positive change - retirement, graduation, adoption - all have aspects of loss. Having a space to talk candidly about loss free of positivity talk or minimization of real grief.

Loss leading to grieving happens in many life transitions. Divorce, job loss, moving, end of friendship or colleague relationship. It even happens in the context of positive change - retirement, graduation, adoption - all have aspects of loss. Having a space to talk candidly about loss free of positivity talk or minimization of real grief.

Let's face it. Being human is hard. You grew up in a family you were born into. There are imprints from that. Maybe much good & some difficult. Maybe a ton of difficult. You persevered & survived. Then you adulted/are currently adulting, and there's a lot to figure out. Family, friends, romantic partner(s), career, aging parents, sandwich generation. I provide a relational space for you to be you, to breathe, to remember who you are, to figure things out. Therapy doesn't have to be scary.