Melissa Douaire Change Expert

Endings & Beginnings

Coming soon, a new series of booklets and interactive digital reflections to navigate life’s transitions

Change is one of the greatest challenges we face. It is inherent to every life event we experience. Whether you are a college graduate, a retiring athlete, or a senior transitioning to a new community, Melissa Douaire, the change expert, will help you change in healthy ways.

Meet Melissa Douaire

"Your journey is unique to you but you never have to do it alone."
Melissa Douaire

Our goal is to help you name, reframe, and honor the losses felt through events that change your identity, personal narrative, and relationships.

Individualized Grief Support

We offer confidential and compassionate individualized grief support, acknowledging all aspects of your life that are impacted by loss.

A graduating senior, no longer a student? Change = loss

An athlete leaving the field for the last time? Change = loss

Retiring from a career? Change = loss

Webinars & Workshops

Engage with Melissa to better understand the emotions involved with life changes. Make life transitions with intentionality instead of falling off a cliff in despair. With an interactive webinar or workshop, whatever your life event that is throwing you a curve ball, you will better understand the emotions and dynamics at play. Naming, reframing and healing will have you seen + heard and valued!

CLIENTS ARE SAYING

"You gave me courage to use my voice. Your smile and gentle way of helping me made me feel safe."

Clients Hire

Melissa Douaire

Webinars & Employee Support

UBS logo featuring three black keys and the letters "UBS" in red.
BECO logo with the tagline 'Energizing Workplaces' and an abstract building design on the left.
Logo of 'SecondAct Women: A BizLife Community for Women 40|50+' in pink text on a white background.
MINDBODY logo with gradient circular design
SAP logo on a blue and white background
Crafton Hills College logo with stylized yellow hills
Logo of the Illinois College Counseling Association with a silhouette of Illinois and the letters ICCA.
Innovative Educators logo with text: "Online Services For Orientation, Support & Training."
College of DuPage logo featuring green geometric design above the text.
Logo of Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder.

Melissa Douaire - Change Expert

Melissa McCreery Douaire, M.Div., M.Ed., GC-C has over 15 years of experience walking beside people during their most significant life changes. She helps others by giving them the tools necessary to acknowledge and address the changes in their life’s narratives, experiences, and relationships.

Change is inevitable.

Understanding what is lost in these changes impacts our resilience and adjustment. “Healthy healing allows us to live intentionally, treat each other kindly, and gently walk through change into the hopefulness of the future,” comments Melissa.

Melissa is known and recognized for her gifts and expertise as a compassionate listener, faithful optimist, and knowledgeable confidante. Melissa earned her M.Div. from Chicago Theological Seminary. Melissa is an ordained UCC minister and a certified grief counselor. Earlier in her career, after earning an M.Ed. from the University of Virginia and a B.A. from DePauw University, Melissa taught at the elementary and college levels.

A woman smiling, wearing a yellow striped shirt and hoop earrings, indoors.

"Thank you for always being there in our time of need. Your words, caring, and wisdom were so helpful as we navigated our son's difficult journey, and they still resonate."

"Thank you for being there/supporting me/ pushing me and guiding me with love these past months. YOU HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE WHEN I TRULY NEEDED IT!"

"You helped me so much after losing my husband. You helped me get through the grieving, and I thank you so much for that."

"I found this webinar particularly helpful. I believe that grief is not talked about as much as it should be. This really made an impact on me especially in today's society with COVID-19 grief as something that some many people are facing and struggling with. Thank you for all the vital information."

"Thank you for always being there in our time of need. Your words, caring, and wisdom were so helpful as we navigated our son's difficult journey, and they still resonate." "Thank you for being there/supporting me/ pushing me and guiding me with love these past months. YOU HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE WHEN I TRULY NEEDED IT!" "You helped me so much after losing my husband. You helped me get through the grieving, and I thank you so much for that." "I found this webinar particularly helpful. I believe that grief is not talked about as much as it should be. This really made an impact on me especially in today's society with COVID-19 grief as something that some many people are facing and struggling with. Thank you for all the vital information."

TESTIMONIALS

Be the First to Know About

New Articles, Posts, Podcasts, and More.

Smiling person holding a coffee cup, standing against a red brick wall. "time4coffee" text with the tagline "Caffeinated, Career, Conversations."

Featured Podcast | August 3, 2021

Interview with Andrea Koppel

Honoring loss even in the success graduations, promotions and moving.

Podcasts

Two people on a video call, one with long dark hair on the left and another wearing glasses and a black top on the right, seated in front of a bookshelf with an artwork on the wall behind.

Featured Podcast | August 3, 2021

From Mourning to Meaning

Listen to 30 different grief experts during July discussion the multi-dimensional aspects of grief.

Podcast cover art for "Let's Talk About Grief" featuring host Anne DeButte, with text and her photo.

Featured Podcast | August 3, 2021

Understanding Grief with Anne DeButte

There have been so many deaths and losses during this Covid time, while many are grieving their morning commute and the disruptions of their familiar routines.