About Us

Diane Ross-Glazer, Ph.D., LMFT

LMFT Lic. # 20330

Years ago, after giving a talk to the medical staff at Tarzana Regional Medical Center, I was asked by Wendy Kelman, RN, Coordinator of Prenatal Education, if I would like to develop and lead a psychotherapy group at their new Women’s Pavilion. As I contemplated what that group might be, I remembered a painful time in my own past when I felt very frightened and would have welcomed additional support.

Within hours of having an amniocentesis during my 17th week of pregnancy, my amniotic sac ruptured, throwing me into premature labor. I can still remember the look of sympathy on my doctor’s face as she told my husband and me that our baby most likely would not survive. There was nothing she could do but send us home to wait for the inevitable loss.

I lay in bed frozen with fear, aching with sadness, waiting for the baby I already knew and loved to slip from life. Time slowed down… but tortuous hours turned to days and days to weeks as our baby clung to life.

During that time, my husband and I had plenty of support from our families and friends, but we still often felt alone. When visits ended, others stepped back into their lives, while we were left stranded in our new fearful existence. Gradually, that existence stabilized, allowing my deep melancholy to transform into tentative hope.

Time passed and our baby is now grown, but I have never forgotten the complete devastation and utter shock of being told our baby could die. That moment played in my head for years, along with the guilt of questioning whether I had inadvertently done something to cause this unfathomable situation. Recalling that memory inspired me to submit the idea of a pregnancy loss support group. To my surprise, Wendy told me she already had a similar group in mind and needed a leader. That was the start of a rewarding, professional collaboration and a remarkable, warm friendship that has lasted decades.

Education

After graduating from UCLA, I received an Elementary and a Secondary Teaching Credential and taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District. After a few years, I enrolled in the doctoral program at the University of Southern California, where I earned a master’s and doctoral degree in Education. From there, I went on to earn another master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy and have been a licensed psychotherapist in practice for over 30 years.

Career Accomplishments

My psychotherapy practice has centered on grief and grieving, adult interpersonal relationships, family therapy, child therapy and effective parenting. I have led the Pregnancy Loss Support Group at Tarzana Regional Medical Center (currently called Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center) and facilitated a group for parents whose babies were in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In addition, I provided in-service training and lectures to medical staff on a range of topics including: postpartum depression, pregnancy loss and compassionate patient care. I also have lectured in Wendy’s amazing “Successful Parenting Program” on such topics as teen sexuality, normal adolescence and the psychology of pregnancy. I have given parenting seminars focused on coping with anger, separation anxiety, development of conscience, early childhood development, middle childhood, discipline and play. In addition, I have taught graduate psychology courses at the university level.

I have been a guest expert on television talk shows and several news programs. I also have been a quoted expert in print media. While working and raising my own children, I wrote a parenting book, When Parenting Is A Foreign Language. I am proud to say the book has garnered several awards and I hope has helped many parents.

Wendy Kelman, R.N.

As a Labor and Delivery nurse at Tarzana Regional Medical Center, I became increasingly more aware of the lack of support available in the community for parents who had lost their babies during pregnancy or immediately postpartum. The local grief support group had been dissolved and there were no other available groups to refer families to for assistance. I worked tirelessly to obtain resources for grieving parents. I assumed the role of coordinator of curriculum for various grief education programs for our patients as well as the nursing staff in Labor and Delivery, NICU and Postpartum. In addition, I also assumed responsibility for the creation and the production of grief handout materials for patients and staff for all Maternal Health units as well as the Social Services Department.

In 2010, I experienced the unthinkable loss of my younger son. I believe this loss has furthered deepened my understanding and compassion that I feel towards the families who have lost their own precious babies.

Education

I received my degree as a Registered Nurse in 1979 at the LA County/USC School of Nursing. I graduated with honors and was bestowed a membership in the Philathian Honor Society.

Career Accomplishments

My career began as a Labor and Delivery nurse in 1979 at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center. During the three years of my employment, I was promoted to a rotating charge nurse in Labor and Delivery.

Wanting to be closer to home and family, I transferred to Tarzana Regional Medical Center in Los Angeles County in 1982. I continued to work in Labor and Delivery for the next 10 years. During that time, I became the co-founder and coordinator of a Prenatal Education Program, which educated 5,000 expectant parents annually. I remained as the coordinator of the program for over twenty-five years and continued to teach in the program until 2022.  In addition, I was the co-founder and coordinator of the “Successful Parenting Program” which featured pediatricians, social workers and therapists offering monthly lectures to parents of children from newborn to 18 years. During my 38 years at this facility, I also served as the nurse manager of the Women’s Cancer Center and nurse manager of the Postpartum/Newborn Nursery Units.

In 1994, I was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Ross-Glazer, who expressed interest in beginning a perinatal loss support group in our facility. Together, we implemented a perinatal loss support group, which has run for over 25 years.  We continue to work together to support parents enduring such tragic losses.