How to Accept an Apology That May Never Come – An Exclusive Interview With Christie Frenette
Christie Frenette, MSW, RSW, is Executive Director of Riptide Counselling Inc., an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, and a therapist whose work focuses on trauma, attachment, and grief. She supports individuals, couples, and families as they work to build safer, more connected relationships.
She is also the author of the forthcoming children’s book "If You Leave Me Tomorrow", which explores disenfranchised grief and offers caregivers guidance on supporting a child through pain.
In this interview, Christie explains why the end of a relationship can bring grief even when the other person is still alive, how people can begin to heal without waiting for an apology, and what it means to stay with someone’s pain before trying to fix it.
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Brainz podcast
How to Accept an Apology That May Never Come - Brainz Podcast with Christie Frenette
Christie Frenette is the Executive Director of Riptide Counselling Inc., an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto and a therapist whose work focuses on trauma, attachment and grief. For more than a decade, she has supported individuals, couples and families in building stronger bonds, deepening safety and connection, and creating resilience across generations.
In this episode, Christie explores living goodbyes, disenfranchised grief and why some losses are difficult to name. She explains what it means to hold pain, how connection can support healing, and why people need to feel seen before they can move forward.
She also shares insights on repair, shame, dignity and accepting an apology that may never come. From co-regulation and attachment to setting boundaries and healing at any age, this conversation offers a compassionate look at how grief can be held without losing yourself. It can open space for hope and connection.