NEW ULM - Ron Kahler, MA LP of Kahler Counseling, 513 3rd North St., in New Ulm, has completed his certification as a grief recovery specialist.
Kahler, a licensed psychologist who has lived in New Ulm since 1998, has plenty of experience with grief in his own life, he said.
"My mother died in a car accident when I was 11. I lost my father when he was 53 and I was 31 to a heart attack. And on Jan. 26, 2008, my son, Sgt. First Class Matthew Kahler (29, of Granite Falls) was killed in action in Afghanistan," he said.
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Ron Kahler
Completing the grief counseling course in March in West Des Moines, Iowa, was "a very healing experience," said Kahler.
"I had a lot of experience with the harmful things people do to deal with grief," Kahler said. "As a grief counselor I can help people find ways to grieve that's not hurtful to themselves or others."
Kahler said grief can be a result of many different events, not just the death of a loved one. Divorce, or ending a relationship, a major illness, loss of a job, or of financial security are losses that brings on the grieving process.
Kahler has been practicing since 1984, after getting a degree in education and teaching art for 10 years. He earned his master's in counseling at St. Mary's University in Winona in 1984.
He moved to New Ulm, where he started the psychological counseling program at RiverBend ALC. In 2002 he joined a group practice in Mankato, then started his own practice in New Ulm in August 2010.