Return to the Table is a 10-week guided journey co-facilitated by psychotherapist and grief tender Melissa Deeken (Namai Therapy) and cultural curator and food storyteller Soodeh Montazeri (Nün ‘O Namak Collective) for those who are experiencing any kind of grief or loss and desire support to walk through it.
In this journey, participants build a practice to transform their relationship with grief, rather than trying to fix it.
Each session blends emotional processing with food-centered rituals—cooking, tasting, storytelling, and sensory practice—that open pathways into memory, emotion, and connection.
Over ten weeks, you’ll:
Learn embodied tools to hold and process grief with compassion
Build personal rituals that nourish resilience and self-tending
Experience food as a creative and meditative practice
Connect in a small, intimate circle and find comfort in community
Carry forward personalized toolkits and practical ways to honor your grief in daily life
This is not a traditional therapy group or cooking class, but an experiential and communal journey where food becomes a language of healing.
Container
This 10-week journey will be offered in person only and will be mostly in the format of large group experiencing with food ritual and emotional processing with occasional breakout sessions.
Those interested in this journey will fill out an initial screening intake form. Co-facilitator Melissa Deeken will initiate a follow up phone conversation with each registrant to determine good fit.
Exchange
Your investment covers ten guided sessions, hands-on food rituals, materials, and your personalized grief practice toolkit — everything you need to make this a deeply embodied and transformational journey.
Regular: $1,599
Early Bird: $1,399 (until December 19)
Referral Discount: 10% off with code
Registration
Those who are interested will RSVP through the Shelterwood event page, which will direct them to an initial intake form to fill out. Co-facilitator Melissa Deeken will then follow up with each registrant to schedule a phone call consultation to determine if this offering and timing is a good fit.
Dr. Soodeh Montazeri, Ph.D.
Founder | Nün ‘O Namak Collective
Soodeh is a design researcher, behavioral scientist, and founder of the Nün ‘O Namak Collective, a community-driven food project that uses the transformative power of food to foster belonging and well-being. Drawing from her professional experience in academia, startups, Fortune 10 companies, and NGOs, she blends expertise in human behavior and emotion with her personal journey of transforming a complicated childhood relationship with food into healing and creativity. Through workshops and communal gatherings, Soodeh guides participants to use food as a medium for comfort, storytelling, and care.
Melissa Deeken, LMHCA
Founder | Namai Therapy
Melissa is a psychotherapist and grief tender devoted to supporting individuals through loss, change, and life transitions. She views grief as a natural response to life’s shifts and believes healing begins with compassionate presence. With clinical expertise and warmth, Melissa creates safe spaces where grief can be honored and transformed into connection and resilience.