Kristen Ernst, MA, LPC​

Owner, Center for Hope and Healing, Grief Support Program Development, Virtual Grief groups, support newsletter, remembrance programs.

Kristen Ernst, is the owner and operator of the Center for Hope & Healing since 2019. Before this she was the Aftercare specialist, grief counselor and support group coordinator and facilitator for Baue’s for several years.
– Kristen has 10 years of experience working with hospice patients and their families.
– Speaker, educator, and facilitator for many groups concerning grief after a partner dies, survivors of suicide loss, grief after a child dies, grief after a loved one died to substance use disorder, and traumatic loss groups.
– She continually works with survivor of childhood abuse and trauma and is experienced and dedicated to her work in suicide prevention and awareness.
– Kristen enjoys assisting in the development of people’s self-advocacy, coping with grief, and creating a safe and conducive environment for people to empower themselves for a better quality of life.
– Keynote speaker for the SHARE Remembrance Walk, keynote speaker and educator for the Angel Moms Retreat, and for grief memorial programs for the holidays for funeral homes in the St. Louis Region
– She has been a facilitator of the Hospice Association of America educational programs and has years of experience in hospice networking and education.
– Kristen has been a keynote presenter for associations such as Stephens Ministry, Angel Moms and Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support in the St. Louis Region.
– Kristen made a special guest appearance on the Running Eyes podcast dedicated to educating the importance of mental health and grief, speaker, and community organizer for Shine the Light, a suicide prevention and intervention program
– Kristen was a speaker and educator for Stephen Ministry trainees for suicide preventions and awareness, Stephen Ministry trainees for grief and mourning and for local community and business clubs, churches, hospice teams, and funeral homes about the importance of self-care
– Writer of educational blogs for funeral homes, the SHARE organization for infant loss, and for numerous hospice teams
– During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kristen quickly designed virtually grief support and counseling programs that continue today for those that desire no contact programs.
– For over 5 years, she has been an instructor to several funeral home teams; helping them understand grief, loss and how to help families in cases of infant, children loss and traumatic death.