ASHLEY MIELKE

B.A., M.Sc. MFT

Founder & CEO

ashley@healmyheart.ca

(780) 288-8011

I am deeply passionate about serving others who have been impacted by loss. It was not my academic or clinical training that propelled me into this work, it was my own painful losses, including my father’s alcohol and substance abuse and his death by suicide. Through my own healing journey, I developed an overwhelming desire to help others move beyond the pain caused by loss.

As a Registered Psychologist in Edmonton, I have facilitated thousands of Grief Recovery Method® Programs since 2013. I have supported people grieving a variety of losses including death, divorce, break-up, infidelity, miscarriage, infertility, postpartum depression, financial and job loss, childhood abuse, substance dependence, moving, loss of health, physical injury and paralysis, and loss of hopes, dreams, and expectations.

I am currently completing my third year of the Doctor of Psychology degree (PsyD) at California Southern University. My heart for grieving people and my desire to serve them in bigger and more significant ways is the passion behind why I am pursuing this program.

In my personal time, I love creating memories with my husband and two sons, vacationing in Hawaii and Arizona, and staying active through running and hockey. I am also a passionate hockey mom who loves spending weekends at the rink with my family!

  • Ashley Mielke brings forth over 10 years of therapeutic experience. She has been a Level II Advanced Certified Grief Recovery Specialist® and Registered Psychologist in Edmonton since 2013. She has extensive experience providing therapy services to individuals, couples, and families, and has been qualified to provide Expert Witness testimony in court proceedings. Ashley also has a background in academia. She taught two undergraduate psychology courses at Concordia University College of Alberta for four years.

    Prior to completing her 1600 hour residency as a Registered Psychologist in private practice, Ashley obtained her Master of Science in Marital and Family Therapy from Loma Linda University, California. Ashley graduated Summa Cum Laude (Highest Academic Distinction).

    While obtaining her Master’s degree, she completed an extensive two-year clinical internship as a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice. During Ashley’s internship she provided therapy and assessment services to individuals, couples, families, and groups and obtained her Level One Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. She is passionate about supporting people through family, couples, and individual counselling.

    Upon full registration as a psychologist in 2013, Ashley became a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist®. Ashley had the honour of training under the Founder of The Grief Recovery Institute®, John James. The day after completing the certification training, Ashley founded The Grief and Trauma Healing Centre. She knew serving grieving people would become her life’s work.

    In 2014, Ashley became Canada’s exclusive Grief Recovery Method® Certification Trainer, where she trains registered psychologists, mental health professionals, physicians and nurses, church pastors, funeral professionals, first-responders, military personnel, life coaches, educators, and several others from around the world in The Grief Recovery Method®. Since 2020, Ashley has served as an international trainer for The Grief Recovery Institute®, certifying professionals across four different countries in the method. Ashley is 1 of 15 trainers in the world who has the privilege of certifying people in this powerful method.

    In 2020, Ashley obtained EMDR Basic Training through EMDR Consulting, an EMDRIA approved training.

    In 2022, Ashley joined The Practice of the Practice team as a business consultant, helping heart-centred therapy practice owners start, grow, and scale their businesses.

    Ashley’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology from Concordia University College of Alberta and completion of two undergraduate clinical placements in the mental health field; one at an out-patient clinic for Alberta Health Services and the other in forensic psychiatry at Alberta Hospital Edmonton.

    When Ashley is not in the office, you can find her speaking at conferences and community events and facilitating professional workshops, training, and consultation on the topic of grief and loss.

    • Diverse Voices Family Violence Conference: Healing From the Grief of Family Violence, November 17, 2022

    • Earls Restaurant, From Her View: Women in Leadership Summit, Panel Speaker, November 8, 2022

    • Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, Stony Plain Suicide Prevention Program, Keynote Speaker, November 20, 2021

    • Elevate: Hope, The Virtual Effect, Keynote Speaker, November 9, 2021

    • Tee it Up for Mental Health, Annual Golf Tournament, Keynote Speaker, August 26, 2021

    • Newfoundland and Labrador Counsellors’ and Psychologists’ Association, 2-Day Professional Learning Workshop Facilitator, June 3 & 10, 2021

    • WESK Summit, Women Entrepreneurs Saskatchewan, Morning Keynote Speaker, May 20, 2021

    • Alberta Pharmacists’ Association, Conference Speaker, November 14, 2020

    • Helping Families Navigate the Grief of Living with a Brain Tumour, Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, Workshop Speaker, October 24, 2020

    • Grief and Dementia, Caregivers Alberta, Workshop Speaker, June 30, 2020

    • Breaking Through the Barriers of Unresolved Grief, The Rotary Club of Edmonton, Keynote Speaker, January 6, 2020

    • Keys to Creating a Successful Grief Recovery Business, Grief Recovery International Conference, September 2018

    • Grief and Compassion, Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada Conference, Keynote Speaker, June 9, 2018

    • Grief and Compassion, Bowden Federal Institution, Two-Day Corporate Training, September 28-29, 2017

    • Grief and Compassion, Hillberg and Berk Retail Manager Brand Conference, Workshop Speaker, April 25, 2017

    • The Power of the Grief Recovery Method in a Mental Health Setting, Grief Recovery International Conference, October 29, 2016