Social worker and author Carole Geithner with husband Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Photo courtesy by Yuri Gripas/AFP/Getty Images.

Carole Geithner, wife of Treasury Secretary Timothy, lost her mother to cancer at age 25.

Geithner, who has worked as a clinical social worker for more than 20 years, has now penned a novel that explores life through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl whose mother died, this article in lohud.com said.

The book is entitled “If Only.”

Geithner, 50, said she helped deal with the loss of her mother by talking to two friends who at a young age had also experienced the death of a family member.

Geithner, MSW, who is a National Association of Social Workers member, is also an expert in grief counseling.

“They had survived it and they were comfortable listening about it,” she said about her friends. “So many people are not comfortable. They are worried they are making you uncomfortable.

An associate of Geithner said they hope the book will foster help others understand and empathize with the grief process.

To learn more about how social workers help people who have experienced grief and loss visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Grief and Loss website by clicking here.