ABOUT US:
Danielle K. Glorioso, LCSW
Originally from Massachusetts, I received my Bachelor’s degree in Human Nutrition at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. I started my career as a dietitian in Massachusetts before moving to San Diego, CA. While I found that I loved the aspect of connecting with and helping others, I wanted to find a position that combined my love of counseling with my nutrition background.
Upon moving to San Diego I was hired as a family counselor at the Family Weight Control and Prevention Program at San Diego State University (SDSU), where I counseled individuals with eating disorders including binge eating disorder and childhood obesity.
After working several years in eating disorders, I decided to change paths and moved to the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) where I worked with older adults with serious mental illnesses and serve as Executive Director of the Center for Healthy Aging and the Stein Institute for Research on Aging.
My desire to focus more on clinical work continued to grow and I enrolled in the Master’s degree program in Social Work at SDSU. During my Master’s program I worked as an intern at the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System Outpatient Mental Health Clinic in La Jolla, CA where I counseled Veterans struggling with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental health issues. I graduated from SDSU with my Master’s in 2007.
After losing my brother Brian to suicide in 2006, I chose to focus my clinical practice on grief and loss. In 2009 I was certified in Prolonged Grief Disorder Therapy (PGDT), which is a highly effective form of therapy used to treat symptoms of prolonged grief disorder (see Grief Therapy Tab).
I was active in a number of community organizations and served on the board of directors for the San Diego chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). In addition, I facilitate a monthly support group for survivors of suicide loss.
I am co-author on a number of publications in the fields of eating disorders, ethics, mental health, and grief. I have also served as an expert panelist in suicide bereavement lectures, lead workshops on grief and loss, and supervise trainees at UC San Diego and Columbia University on PGDT.
Amanda VerWys, MSW
Amanda is an associate clinical social worker and a passionate grief therapist. She completed her undergraduate education at the University of California, Irvine, and went on to graduate from the University of Southern California with her Master of Social Work degree in 2021. Throughout her educational and professional careers, Amanda has honed her expertise working adolescents, teens, young adults, and their families, as well as with older adults.
After losing her younger brother in 2018, Amanda gained firsthand personal knowledge of the power of grief work and it forever shifted the purpose of her work and desire to connect others with the resources and guidance to move forward after loss.
Since then, she has counseled young people, facilitated adult and family grief groups, and completed End-of-Life Practitioner training through The HeartWay. Most recently, she received training through Columbia University’s Center for Prolonged Grief in Prolonged Grief Disorder Therapy (PGDT) and is able to guide individuals through this modality.
An empathetic and passionate communicator, Amanda creates a welcoming space for those experiencing grief and mental health challenges. As a trainee/associate working with Danielle K. Glorioso, Amanda is taking her education, experience, and personal mission forward to complete her requirements for licensure and serve others in their journeys of grief and loss.