Arizona State University expert directory

Joanne Cacciatore is an expert in traumatic grief, community development, psychology and mental health.

Cacciatore is a professor at the School of Social Work. Her research is focused in traumatic death and grief including etiology, epidemiology, culturally-appropriate interventions, social support, coping, meditation and mindfulness-based approaches.

Cacciatore started The Selah Carefarm, the first carefarm for the traumatically bereaved in the U.S. and it's just outside of Sedona, Arizona. It’s 10 acres of farmland where bereaved family members can come to both give and receive connection, compassion, and understanding. All the animals on the carefarm have been rescued from abuse, neglect, and torture.

Her work was featured on Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry's Apple TV docuseries "The Me You Can't See" which explores the current state of the world’s mental health and emotional well-being through storytelling.

Cacciatore's best-selling book, Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief, is a national award-winning bestseller that has helped revolutionize the way our culture thinks, and feels, about grief. She works with and counsels families from all around the world who have experienced catastrophic deaths.