Licensure and Certifications

Note: A license authorizes a person to practice in a particular specialty in healthcare. Certification through a national board affirms advanced knowledge, skill, and practice to meet the challenges of that specialty, and it contributes to better patient outcomes.  Certification is a voluntary process, and is sought by those who care enough to earn and maintain the highest credentials in their specialty, thereby demonstrating a commitment to excellence in practice.

Marty Tousley, CNS-BC, FT, DCC is certified by the American Nurses Association (ANA) as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health (CNS-BC), and is licensed to practice in the States of Michigan, Arizona and Florida as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (APRN).

She has earned the Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC) credential, having met the requirements set forth by the Center for Credentialing and Education, Inc. (CCE) and having satisfactorily completed the CCE-approved ReadyMinds Training program. This credential sets the standard in the evolving practice of distance counseling, which Marty does via her Grief Healing Web site and as moderator for Hospice of the Valley’s online Grief Healing Discussion Groups. As a certified Distance Credentialed Counselor, Marty is entitled to used the initials "DCC" after her name, signifying that she has proven expertise in the following areas:

• Knowledge of ethical issues involved in distance counseling
• Ability to build a strong working relationship with clients via distance methods
• Commitment to best distance counseling practices and to delivering helpful communications to clients
• Awareness of legal issues relevant to distance counseling
• Knowledge of technology needed for effective distance counseling.

In January of 2007, Marty was awarded the Fellow in Thanatology (FT) certification by the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC). The Fellow in Thanatology (FT) designation is an advanced professional certification for thanatology professionals working in the fields of grief, loss and transition. It recognizes practitioners and educators in the discipline of death, dying, and bereavement who have met specified knowledge requirements measured through a standardized testing process, and who demonstrate advanced levels of competency in teaching, research and/or clinical practice through a professional portfolio.


Education, Training and Experience

As both a bereaved parent and a bereaved child herself, Marty Tousley has focused her practice on issues of grief, loss and transition for more than 40 years. She joined Hospice of the Valley in Phoenix, AZ as a Bereavement Counselor in 1996, and now serves as moderator for its online Grief Healing Discussion Groups.  With her special interest in grief and the human-animal bond, she facilitated a pet loss support group for bereaved animal lovers in Phoenix for 15 years, and now serves as consultant to the Pet Loss Support Group at Hospice of the Valley and to the Ontario Pet Loss Support Group in Canada.  She also works with veterinary clinics and other organizations to foster greater understanding of pet loss among staff members, thereby building better helping relationships with grieving clients. Having experienced and worked through many personal losses herself, including the deaths of several beloved companion animals, she has a deep understanding of the special attachment that occurs between people and their pets, and a genuine appreciation of the painful effects of pet loss through disappearance, relinquishment, illness or death.

Throughout her 40-year career in psychiatric nursing, Marty has practiced individual, marital, family and group psychotherapy in a variety of settings, including schools, hospitals, community mental health centers and private practice. She has provided consultation, community education and training on loss and bereavement in Michigan, New Jersey and Arizona.  Her work in pet loss and bereavement has been featured in the pages of Phoenix Magazine, The Arizona Republic, The East Valley Tribune, Arizona Veterinary News, Hospice Horizons, The Forum (ADEC Newsletter), The AAB Newsletter, Dog Fancy Magazine, Cat Fancy Magazine, Woof Magazine and Pet Life Magazine. 

She is a frequent contributor to healthcare journals, newsletters and magazines for the lay public, and has written several articles and book chapters in the professional nursing and medical literature.  Her online articles appear regularly on the Open to Hope Foundation Web site and in the Holistic Expressions Newsletter.  Her published works include Children and Pet Loss: A Guide for Helping (1996), The Final Farewell: Preparing for and Mourning the Loss of Your Pet (1997), Explaining the Funeral or Memorial Service to Your Children (2005), Helping Another in Grief (2007), and Finding Your Way through Grief: A Guide for the First Year, Second Edition (2008).  She has authored three online e-courses for Self-Healing Expressions, including The First Year of Grief: Help for the Journey, A Different Grief: Coping with Pet Loss, and Helping You and Your Children with Pet Loss, along with a number of  Healing E-books addressing various topics such as How to Write a Eulogy, How to Write an Obituary, How to Write Heartfelt Condolence Letters, and How to Write Sympathy Thank-You Notes.     

Marty received her B.S. in Nursing from the University of Michigan and her M.S. in Advanced Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.  She is an active member of The Association for Death Education and Counseling, The American Academy of Bereavement,  The American Nurses Association, The American Psychiatric Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Delta Society, The Association for Veterinary Family Practice, The Companion Animal Association of Arizona, The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan, and Rutgers College of Nursing Alumni Association.

Marty feels blessed to be the mother of two awesome, handsome sons and grandmother to two darling boys, two precious little girls, two noisy birds, several flop-eared bunnies, two playful cats, a young cocker spaniel and an older black Lab. She spends her winters with her husband Michael in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona or Sarasota, Florida, and the rest of the year at their Summer Place in beautiful Traverse City, Michigan.  For the last 15 years, they shared their home with Beringer, their beloved Tibetan terrier, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge on August 22, 2011. Read more of her personal story here: A Message from Marty Tousley.

In the Media:

In a recent interview with Anila Venkat of ElderBranch, Marty shares her thoughts about loss, grief and bereavement: A Conversation with Marty Tousley, Grief Counselor.

Marty discusses coping with the loss of an animal companion with Peternity's Colleen Mihelich on her radio program, Finding Hope in Pet Loss.  Listen to the interview here: Finding Help with Pet Loss.

Marty was presented with the 2007 John Suardini Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award, in recognition of her 15 years of volunteer service to the Companion Animal Association of Arizona and its Pet Grief Support Service.

Marty was invited back to Nature's Translator with Tracy Ann, hosted by animal communicator and alternative healer Tracy Ann.  The program is available for listening here: Grief, Guilt, and Finding Support.

Marty discusses her role as a hospice bereavement counselor; grief and loss; men and grief; grieving the loss of a spouse and more in this interview by Take 5 Entertainment and News Guide: Local Bereavement Facilitator Talks about Her Work

Marty was interviewed by Carolyn Carlson, LSW, host of the Minnesota-based Life after Loss radio program on Radio Station KTOE.

Thanks to the sincere and heartfelt interest of local news anchor Mark Curtis, whose beloved Bouvier died of cancer in January 2007, the topic of pet loss was featured in an interview with Marty on Channel 12, the NBC affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona.

Marty was the featured guest on Nature's Translator with Tracy Ann, a weekly Contact Talk Radio program hosted by animal communicator and alternative healer Tracy Ann.  A segment of the program is available for listening here: Euthanasia and Animal Communication.

Marty Tousley
 
Marty Tousley's Curriculum Vitae

TousleyM@aol.com