About the California Grief Center
At the California Grief Center, we believe that grief is not just about death. It’s about loss, change, and transition—the breakups, the moves, the identity shifts, the ruptures in family or future. It’s the quiet ache after a diagnosis, the silence after a goodbye, the disorientation that comes when the life we knew suddenly disappears.
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We created CGC because far too many people are left to navigate these storms alone. Our mission is simple: to offer meaningful, compassionate support that meets people where they are—whether in the rawness of fresh loss or the slow burn of long-term change. We serve individuals, families, and communities with therapy, coaching, workshops, retreats, public education, and creative healing spaces like Catharsis Theater.
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Our approach is rooted in depth, not quick fixes. In a world that often rushes grief or avoids it altogether, we make room. Room to feel. Room to speak. Room to fall apart and come back together. Because when we tend to grief honestly, we’re not just surviving it—we’re transforming through it.
About Brian, CEO/Founder
Brian Stefan, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist specializing in grief, traumatic loss, suicide, anxiety, and crisis response.
He is the founder of the California Grief Center (www.caligrief.com), an organization dedicated to supporting all survivors of grief and traumatic loss through individual therapy and group support.
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Brian is a proud staff member of the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center in Los Angeles, a renowned organization offering comprehensive suicide prevention services to everyone, including crisis intervention, therapy, and community outreach, aimed at saving lives and promoting mental health awareness.
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Additionally, he serves as Adjunct Faculty at California State University Los Angeles, School of Social Work where he teaches on trauma, grief, and counseling skills. He is also a member of the Los Angeles Mayor's Office Crisis Response Team & Suicide Response Team.
About Emma, COO
Emma You is an operations strategist with over a decade of experience in business strategy and development, dedicated to building systems that uphold human dignity for those navigating grief.
As Chief Operating Officer of the California Grief Center, she oversees daily operations, ensures the delivery of high-quality therapeutic services, and provides grief counseling. Her work is rooted in a deep commitment to supportive, person-centered care, informed by her early experiences at Zen Hospice Project, where she trained in mindful caregiving before becoming a certified death doula through Going With Grace.
Emma brings extensive experience in crisis intervention, having served for several years as a 988 crisis line counselor at the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center. She is also an advocate for healthcare access, serving on the Board of the San Francisco Community Health Center, and volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster youth.
Her professional background includes roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the Center for Reproductive Rights, where she focused on healthcare and social impact. She remains committed to creating compassionate, personalized support systems for individuals facing life’s most difficult transitions.
