Ligia M. Houben MA, FT, FAAGC, CPC, CHt, is the founder of My Meaningful Life, LLC and of The Center for Transforming Lives in Miami, Fl. She is a grief expert and life transitions coach. Ligia is a whole-hearted speaker in the field of grief & loss and has reached many people with her messages about transformation, meaning, and personal growth. She is a Former Board Member of ADEC (The Association for Death, Education, and Counseling). Ligi is a Fellow in Thanatology: Death, Dying, and Bereavement and a Fellow in the American Academy of Grief Counseling.
Ligia is a Certified Professional Coach (CPC), and the former Grief & Growth Coach Leader for International Coaching Academy (ICA). She is a PESI (Mental Health Continuing Education) presenter, with her signature seminar Transforming Grief & Loss. Strategies to Help your Clients through Major Life Transitions. This seminar is based on The 11 Principles of Transformation®, the system she created to transform losses into personal growth, and was introduced in her book, Transform your Loss. Your Guide to Strength and Hope.
Mrs. Houben holds a BA in Psychology and Religious Studies from the University of Miami, MA in Religious Studies and Graduate Certificates in Multidisciplinary Gerontology from Florida International University, and in Loss and Healing from St. Thomas University.
Ligia conducts workshops and seminars in English and Spanish, nationally and internationally. She has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, including CNN Español, NPR, NBC, and Univisión. A pioneer in working with Hispanics and grief, she authored the book Counseling Hispanics through Loss, Grief, and Bereavement. A Guide for Mental Health Professionals, which has been widely embraced as a helping manual in clinical settings, hospitals, and individuals.
For 9 years Ligia was a trainer for Baptist Health System with Congregational Health in establishing bereavement support groups in Churches and a group leader for elders for the Jewish Federation in Miami Beach Adult Day Care Center.
EDUCATION
Graduate Certificate in Loss and Healing 2004
St. Thomas University
Master in Religious Studies
Florida International University 2003
Graduate Certificate in Gerontology
Florida International University
Bachelors in Psychology and Religious Studies 1998
University of Miami
TEACHING CERTIFICATIONS
Graduate Teaching Level 2003
Florida International University
VIRTUAL TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Instructor
Kaplan University 2004-2016
Teaching Social Perspectives on Death & Dying and Professional Presence
Courses taught: Academic Strategies; Ethics; Bioethics; Religion; Exploring the 1960s
Broward Community College 2005
Religion
Florida International University 2002-2003
Assisted in teaching: Multidisciplinary Gerontology-Aging and Psychology
Developed quizzes and discussion questions; maintain learning material updated.
LIVE TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Professor
Miami Dade College 2005-2014
World Religions
Florida International University
Death and Dying
Guest Lecturer 2010 & 2012
University of Miami
Death & Dying
LECTURE TOPICS
- Transforming Grief and Loss. Strategies to Help your Clients through Major Life Transitions.
- The 11Principles of Transformation®
- Grief at Work
- Overcoming Stress & Anxiety
- Let go of Fear and be Happier
- Death and Dying: Having the Conversation
- Caregivers & Loss
- Coping with Loss during the Holidays
- Supporting Hispanics in Grief & Loss
- Aging and Spirituality: The Fourth Dimension
- Establishing a Meaningful Bereavement Program
- Live with Purpose and Realize your Goals
- Happiness is a Choice
- Dealing with Divorce Transition (The 11 Principles)
- Embracing our Spirituality: Love, Forgiveness and Gratitude
PUBLICATIONS
Books
Transforming Grief and Loss. Workbook (2016). PESI. Eau Claire, WI
Counseling Hispanics through Loss, Grief, and Bereavement. A Guide For Mental Health Professionals (2011) Springer: NY, NY
Transform your Loss. Your Guide to Strength and Hope (2009). Insight Publishing, TN. 2009 (also available in Spanish).
La Virgen María y la Mujer Nicaragüense: Historia y Tradición. (The Virgin Mary and Nicaraguan Women: History and Tradition) (2004). Imprimitour, Managu, Nicaragua.
E-books
- Transform Your Loss. Your Guide to Strength and Hope
- Transforma tu perdida. Una antología de fortaleza y esperanza.
- Counseling Hispanics through Loss, Grief, and Bereavement. A Guide For Mental Health Professionals. Aging and Spirituality: The Fourth Dimension©
- The Nursing Home Resident: A Holistic Approach
- A Chapter on Grief at Work in Meaning and Value in the Corporate World
Audio CD
- Momentos de Reflexión (Moments of Reflection). Guided Meditation in Spanish