Walt Kasmir, PhD, Pastoral Thanatologist
Grief, Crisis, & Trauma Authority
Author of Artistry of Eldercare, and Grace For Grieving. He’s also a highly sought-after Trainer and Consultant.
Dr. Kasmir is a Pastoral Thanatologist and nationally recognized Grief, Crisis & Trauma Authority who ministers in the margins—where grief groans, trauma lingers, and the soul reaches for light.
My Story
Dr. Kasmir is a Pastoral Thanatologist and nationally recognized Grief, Crisis & Trauma Authority who ministers in the margins—where grief groans, trauma lingers, and the soul reaches for light.
With a career forged at the intersection of clinical care and sacred calling, Dr. Kasmir has helped thousands confront the unspeakable: death without preparation, trauma without language, sorrow without solace.
Dr. Kasmir holds advanced degrees in Thanatology along with a BS in Nursing and Professional Writing. But his most formative credentials come from the crucible of personal loss. Walking alongside his own parents through dementia’s cruel terrain, he learned what no textbook could teach: how to hold space, how to speak silence, how to sit at the altar of anguish.
He teaches that trauma and grief are not mere events but spiritual emergencies—portals that demand presence, patience, and profound compassion.
Through his writings, workshops, and clinical mentoring, Dr. Kasmir equips caregivers, clergy, and clinicians to become sacred first responders in a world wounded by death and despair.
This is not just crisis care—it is consecrated care.
His mission is simple yet profound: to ensure that no elder is forgotten, no caregiver is unsupported, and no griever walks alone.
Education
Dr. Walt Kasmir, a Fellow in the American Institute of Healthcare Professionals (FAIHCP), is a Certified Pastoral Thanatologist (PT-CSp), a Board Certified Pastoral Counselor (BCPC), and Crisis Intervention Counselor (CIC-CSp), he carries both the science of suffering and the scripture of survival.
His trauma-informed practice integrates neuroscience, narrative therapy, and spiritual care, offering a lifeline to those navigating the wreckage of loss.
But his most formatve credentials come from the crucible of personal loss. Walking alongside his own parents through dementia’s cruel terrain, he learned what no textbook could teach: how to hold space, how to speak silence, how to sit at the altar of anguish distinguished grief, crisis, and trauma authority, recognized for his compassionate and strategic approach to caregiving and loss.
Holding a PhD in Thanatology, a Master of Bioethics (MBE), and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), he integrates medical expertise, ethical wisdom, and spiritual insight to support families navigating life’s most profound transitions.