Good Grief, Connecticut
Time & Location
About the Event
Let’s face it: talking about death is uncomfortable. It's awkward and difficult. We mean well and want to show support, but we sometimes blurt out unhelpful platitudes, tiptoeing around it, or saying nothing at all. But we can do better. Come have a candid conversation with us about death and loss. You'll leave with a better understanding of what to say (and what not to say) to a grieving friend, co-worker or family member. This event is free of charge. Questions? Contact (203)513-2808.
Moderator: Mercedes Velgot. Host: Allison Wysota, Founder & Executive Director, Adam's House Grief Center, Helping Hearts Heal Program, Shelton CT (203)513-2808. Guest: Licensed Therapist Caitlin, Licensed Professional Counselor, MAAT, LPC, ATR-BC, CBC, Shelton, CT (203) 794-7081
Event Team
MODERATOR: MERCEDES ILDEFONSO
Mercedes Ildefonso Velgot is the Executive Producer of the Emmy® award-winning series “Born to Explore with Richard Wiese.” For over 10 years, Mercedes was the senior producer for “Videofashion,” a weekly television series on fashion and lifestyle, which aired on Lifetime and E! Entertainment Television. The series was distributed internationally. Mercedes developed several series dedicated to the world of fashion, and produced and directed style videos for magazines including GQ, ELLE and Harper’s Bazaar. As on-air talent, Mercedes has been seen on many television networks including fX, CNN, E! Entertainment Television, Oxygen. She anchored the morning news for WBIS-31 in New York and ABC's World News Now as well as guest hosting Live! With Regis. Mercedes also filled-in at the anchor desk for FIOS-1 News, New Jersey and Long Island. Corporate clients include Albert Einstein Medical Center, Bloomberg, VIbra Healthcare, Reuters, Volvo, Aetna, Pfizer, General Electric, Bloomingdale's, Fuji Film, Momentix, and Kraft among others for industrials, commercials and voice-overs.
LICENSED COUNSELOR:
CAITLIN IANNUCCI, LPC, ATR-BC, CBC
Caitlin received a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Psychology from Albertus Magnus College in 2006, followed by her Masters of Arts in Art Therapy also at Albertus Magnus College in 2010. She is an adjunct professor in both the undergraduate and graduate art therapy programs there. Caitlin’s passion for art, psychology, and creative expression for most of her life laid the foundation for her career as an art therapist. With a specialty in traumatic grief, she maintains a private art therapy practice in Shelton, CT. In 2018, she pursued certification as a Compassionate Bereavement Care Provider (CBC) from the MISS Foundation and Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Family Trust. She became a SoulCollage® facilitator in 2019, and enjoys collaborating with other facilitators in the area to bring people together and back to themselves through the collage process.
CONTACT: caitlin@caitliniannucci.com
(203) 906-6546
HOST
ALLISON WYSOTA, Founder & Executive Director, Adam's House
Allison is a proud, dedicated mom to three sons, Andrew, Austin and Addison. Before taking time to raise her sons, Allison was a teacher at the School for Language in Bellmore, NY. After she completed her Master’s in Speech Pathology at Adelphi University, she opened a private practice, providing services to speech-impaired children in Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, NY.
After the unexpected passing of her husband, Adam Wysota, Allison found it challenging to find support for her family struggling to deal with their grief. Her search led her to decide to establish The Adam Wysota Foundation in 2012 to honor Adam’s memory by creating a center, called Adam’s House, to help other grieving families. Her vision is to offer grief education and peer support programs to children and their families in a comfortable home setting. Allison’s hope is that with Adam’s House, no family and especially, no child will ever grieve without the support of a caring community.
CONTACT: allison@AdamsHouseCT.org
(203) 513-2808