Christina Rasmussen

Christina Rasmussen is a Greek–American crisis intervention counselor and author. She is best known for writing Second Firsts, a 2013 book introducing a new model of grief based on the science of neuroplasticity, as well as creating a grief counseling organization of the same name.

Background In September 1998, Rasmussen delivered her master's thesis on the stages of grief at the University of Durham in England.

In 2003, Rasmussen's husband of 10 years, Bjarne Rasmussen, was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. On July 21, 2006, he died in the intensive care unit of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute at the age of thirty-five.

In September 2010, she started writing her weekly letter on her site Second Firsts which began her journey as a writer.

On November 4, 2013, her first book Second Firsts was published by Hay House.

The Life Reentry Institute was born in 2017 bringing forth a professional curriculum to allow for professionals to bring Life Reentry into their work.

In December 2018 Rasmussen published her first book with HarperOne, Where Did You Go? It received critical reviews from religious establishments such as the National Catholic Reporter.

Second Firsts

In April 2010, Rasmussen created the Life Reentry Model, a model of grieving based on her professional, academic, and personal observations of the bereavement process. This model is the foundation of her 2013 book, Second Firsts, as well as her grief counseling organization of the same name. The defining characteristic of the model proposed by Second Firsts is the view of loss as a catalyst for change and self-growth.

Reception and influence For her work on Second Firsts, Rasmussen has been featured on the blog of the White House, as well as HelloGiggles, a lifestyle website created by actress Zooey Deschanel.