The Quiet Hours: Hello!

Hi! My name is Tsedeye, I am the founder of Epione Psychotherapy and this is my blog The Quiet Hours, where I will talk all things grief, loss and death care.

I thought I would take the time to introduce myself a little, something I recently did over on Instagram. But this time taking the opportunity to ramble a little more with out the confides of the Instagram word limit.

So where to begin… I am a social worker by trade, and a second generation one at that. I took the long scenic route when it came to my studies/occupation, having studied Media/Journalism, Classics, Creative Writing, History, Art Therapy and Psychology before finding my way to Social Work.

As an autistic women I particularly feel like my special interests are extensions on my being. These include photography, music(specially punk, rock, metal,,ect), reading, Dungeons and Dragons, and niche perfumes.

I have also always loved learning. Throughout my studies I had been driven by a desire to make changes and positive impacts on peoples lives. And from a young age I have also been highly fascinated in death and the macabre due to experiencing losses early in life. So, I think becoming a Grief and Loss therapist was one of the most natural decisions.

I remember while I was studying Social Work thinking about how will I synthesis this with my personal interests? How can I create something of my own that is fulfilling and authentically me? ….

Now at the time I had just discovered Ask A Mortician on YouTube and was so intrigued by this world of death care that was geared towards change. Naturally this led to be finding the Order of The Good Death and this got me thinking again… How could a social worker fit into this world? how could I be a part of this death care revolution?…That’s where the seed of Epione Psychotherapy was born.

So Why Epione? What does it mean???

First things first, I don’t know how many of you also have businesses but making a business name is hard!

I wanted the name to be representative of me and authentic to my values. From a young age I have been obsessed with Greek Mythology, so I chose to start my search there. I picked Epione for a few reasons. Firstly Epione is the greek goddess of soothing pain. She is the wife of Asclepius the god of medicine ( the guy with the snake and staff). I like the idea of soothing pain, it fit with what I wanted to achieve, while I cant eliminate the pain completely, I can sooth it make it manageable. I also picked Epione for my feminist values, Epione is often an overlooked goddess and lesser know. Through my business I wanted to acknowledge her legacy which is often over shadowed by that of her husbands… which ironically also aligns with my social work values of disrupting the medical model.

Fast forward a few years, I have now been practicing for 3 years in the public sector across mental health and domestic violence services. Throughout this time I have noticed how prevalent the impacts of unresolved grief are on peoples ability to recover from mental illness or traumatic situations. I also noticed the impact of using a “grief informed lens” when working with people. It made people feel seen, because sometimes for the first time someone was acknowledging their pain as grief.

While I also work from a trauma informed lens, working with a grief lens has allowed me to make more unique connections with people.

In regards to my therapeutic style I am trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, which underpin most of my practice. I also enjoy mixing these modalities with elements of somatic therapy and expressive arts therapy to create a more holistic approach.

So, if you’re exploring therapy and would like to talk a little more, schedule a consultation to see if we’re a good fit. I am more than happy to answer questions and even assist in providing resources were able.

Until next time, be gentle!

-Tsedeye

Photo from my trip to Melbourne’s historic Boroondara Garden Cemetery. 2024