A Memoir by Lacey Tezino
When Losing Your Mother Changes Everything
Therapy After Mom Died is a deeply personal memoir about adoption, reunion, grief, therapy, motherhood, and learning how to heal after profound loss.
Signed copies ship from Texas · Free chapter and Grief Reflection Guide by email
For Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Mother
Why I Wrote This Book
I wrote it for the daughter who is still functioning on the outside and quietly falling apart on the inside. This is the story I needed to read.
Adoption
My father Ronnie adopted me as a newborn — a one-armed, white gay man in 1986 who wanted a child more than anything. He raised me with his mother, my Nana Lillian, until cancer took him when I was small.
Reunion at eighteen
At eighteen I found my birth mother. Meeting her answered questions I had carried my whole life — and opened a few new ones.
Ten years together
We had ten years. Ten years of phone calls, visits, and a relationship we were still learning how to hold.
The diagnosis
Then came her cancer diagnosis, and the strange arithmetic of a life measured in treatments and waiting rooms.
Losing her
When she died, I lost her a second time. The first loss was not being raised by her. The second was knowing there would be no more time.
Becoming a mother
Becoming a mother myself reorganized everything. I understood her differently — and I grieved her differently too.
Finally, therapy
For years I told myself I was handling it. Therapy was where I finally told the truth out loud, without managing anyone else’s feelings about it.
Healing
Healing did not erase her. It made room for her — and for me — at the same time.
Free Grief Reflection Guide
Download a free reflection guide inspired by lessons from Therapy After Mom Died — and read a free chapter of the book.
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What You'll Discover Inside
Grief
How loss shows up long after the funeral.
Therapy
Real lessons learned during counseling.
Motherhood
How becoming a mother changes your understanding of your own.
Healing
Ways to move forward without leaving your loved one behind.
What Readers Are Saying
Reader reflections will be shared here as the first copies reach their hands.
If the book has meant something to you, we would love to hear it.
Order Direct & Receive Exclusive Bonuses
The bonuses below come only with a direct order from Lacey.
Signed Copy
Personally signed by Lacey Tezino.
Grief Reflection Guide
A downloadable companion resource for the harder days.
Discussion Questions
Perfect for book clubs, grief groups, and women’s circles.
Reader Community Updates
Be notified of conversations, events, and new resources.
Signed copies are $20 with shipping included in the United States.
Bring Therapy After Mom Died To Your Group
Available for:
Continue Your Healing Journey
The book is one part of the work we do at Passport Journeys.
Mother-Daughter Relationship Snapshot
A free ten-question reflection on the relationship you have today.
Take the AssessmentThe Lillian Legacy Retreat
A beachfront weekend for mothers and adult daughters in Galveston.
Join Upcoming EventsHealing Begins With One Conversation
Whether you are grieving a mother, missing a loved one, or learning to carry loss differently, you do not have to walk that journey alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Therapy After Mom Died is a memoir, not clinical care. It is not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911.