Life's Challenge's Magazine

FALL 2009 ARTICLE

WOMAN MOVES FROM GRIEF COUNSELLOR TO LIFE COACH
By Mike Zettel, Niagara News, Oct 02, 2009

Christine Dernederlanden became involved with helping people cope with loss a little more than a decade ago, when she was pregnant with her first child, Chelsea.

She was at a funeral for her grandmother when she was overcome by a tremendous sense of loss. Turns out it was more than her grieving the loss of a loved one to stroke. At the time, Dernederlanden was finally coming to terms with something that happened when she was a teenager.

When Dernederlanden was 14, her older brother, Robert, died after accidently falling from a ledge near Niagara Falls. Though it wasn’t a conscious decision, Dernederlanden didn’t allow herself to grieve for her brother, or even acknowledge he was gone. It was almost like she forgot he was ever in her life.

“I really didn’t understand what was happening,” she said. “Everything seemed so surreal.”

Even a doctor she visited later to check out a growth on her leg commented that if she didn’t talk about what was inside, it would eventually kill her.

It was at her grandmother’s funeral, several years later, that it finally came out.

“All of a sudden it hit me,” she said.

Dernederlanden soon locked herself in the basement and put her thoughts to paper, ending up with a children’s book, “Where is Robert?”, which deals with loss. She printed off 1,000 copies using her own money because it was impossible to convince any publisher it would be a worthwhile venture.

Then the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, occurred. And suddenly, she received a call from an emergency response team request 5,000 copies.

Dernederlanden spent the next few years on the road counselling family members of victims of the attacks and others who have experienced loss. Locally, she also counselled students and teachers at Gainsborough Public School after seven children were killed in a fire in 2004.

About a year ago, Dernederlanden came home, deciding to put an end to her career as a grief counsellor, focusing instead on something more positive: life coaching.

She has created a series of conferences under the banner of Empower, which she introduced last year for women. Starting this Saturday, Dernederlanden is rolling out a series of monthly Empower conferences, one set for women, one set for girls.

Taking place at the Quality Hotel and Parkway Convention Centre, the conferences deal with a range of topics, including self confidence, bullying and body image for girls and positive thinking, work-life balance and presenting a professional image for women.

“I wanted to have something that would empower people,” she said. “I want to go in helping people to live.”

Dernederlanden’s daughter, Chelsea, will be helping out with the pre-teen conferences. Dernederlanden said she’s found it can be helpful to have a peer present a positive role model.

“I think a lot of times, kids do relate to kids,” she said.

The conferences take place Oct. 3, Nov. 7, Jan. 2, Feb. 6, March 6 and April 6. The pre-teen sessions from 10 a.m. to noon and cost $20 each. Women’s sessions run from 1-4 p.m. and cost $35. Both include refreshments and take home resources.

For more information, call 905-688-8009 or e-mail


		FALL 2009 ARTICLE WOMAN MOVES FROM GRIEF COUNSELLOR TO LIFE COACH By Mike Zettel, Niagara News, Oct 02, 2009 Christine Dernederlanden became involved with helping people cope with loss a little more than a decade ago, when she was pregnant with her first child, Chelsea. She was at a funeral for her grandmother when she was overcome by a tremendous sense of loss. Turns out it was more than her grieving the loss of a loved one to stroke. At the time, Dernederlanden was finally coming to terms with something that happened when she was a teenager. When Dernederlanden was 14, her older brother, Robert, died after accidently falling from a ledge near Niagara Falls. Though it wasn’t a conscious decision, Dernederlanden didn’t allow herself to grieve for her brother, or even acknowledge he was gone. It was almost like she forgot he was ever in her life. “I really didn’t understand what was happening,” she said. “Everything seemed so surreal.” Even a doctor she visited later to check out a growth on her leg commented that if she didn’t talk about what was inside, it would eventually kill her. It was at her grandmother’s funeral, several years later, that it finally came out. “All of a sudden it hit me,” she said. Dernederlanden soon locked herself in the basement and put her thoughts to paper, ending up with a children’s book, “Where is Robert?”, which deals with loss. She printed off 1,000 copies using her own money because it was impossible to convince any publisher it would be a worthwhile venture. Then the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, occurred. And suddenly, she received a call from an emergency response team request 5,000 copies. Dernederlanden spent the next few years on the road counselling family members of victims of the attacks and others who have experienced loss. Locally, she also counselled students and teachers at Gainsborough Public School after seven children were killed in a fire in 2004. About a year ago, Dernederlanden came home, deciding to put an end to her career as a grief counsellor, focusing instead on something more positive: life coaching. She has created a series of conferences under the banner of Empower, which she introduced last year for women. Starting this Saturday, Dernederlanden is rolling out a series of monthly Empower conferences, one set for women, one set for girls. Taking place at the Quality Hotel and Parkway Convention Centre, the conferences deal with a range of topics, including self confidence, bullying and body image for girls and positive thinking, work-life balance and presenting a professional image for women. “I wanted to have something that would empower people,” she said. “I want to go in helping people to live.” Dernederlanden’s daughter, Chelsea, will be helping out with the pre-teen conferences. Dernederlanden said she’s found it can be helpful to have a peer present a positive role model. “I think a lot of times, kids do relate to kids,” she said. The conferences take place Oct. 3, Nov. 7, Jan. 2, Feb. 6, March 6 and April 6. The pre-teen sessions from 10 a.m. to noon and cost $20 each. Women’s sessions run from 1-4 p.m. and cost $35. Both include refreshments and take home resources. For more information, call 905-688-8009 or e-mail