Connie Saindon MFT

Connie Saindon is a licensed Marital and Family Therapist and among the few specialists in the field of violent death trauma with special emphasis in the aftermath of homicide. She founded a nonprofit program: Survivors of Violent Loss, 1998, providing direct services in the aftermath of violent loss. Ms Saindon provided program development, clinical services, training and supervision of medical residents, interns, clinicians, advocates and paraprofessionals.

She co-authored the first preliminary study that showed significant decreases in symptoms using the Restorative Retelling model. More research showing similar results produced two more studies published in Death Studies in 2013 and 2014, for which she is a primary and contributing author.

Ms. Saindon is a frequent presenter at national conferences and trainer on this specialized topic. She is author of Murder Survivors Handbook (2014): real stories, tips and resources which received the "Best in Self Help" Benjamin Franklin Gold Award.

Her latest book is The Journey: Learning to Live with Violent Death (2015), is an adaption of the evidence based Restorative Retelling Model for adult self-help and support group facilitators.

She is a contributing author of Violent Death, Resilience and Intervention beyond the Crises, Edited by Edward Rynearson, MD. She has written articles on murder and homicide for Encyclopedia of Trauma (Charles Figley, editor). Her commitment to violent loss bereavement is inspired by the loss of her sister, aged 17, to homicide in 1961.

When not pursuing her professional interests she may be found living in the East or West coast, walking her dog, skiing or taking photographs.