Grief and Loss Counseling in Kensington, MD.

I work closely with you to help you cope with grief and mourning the loss of a loved one, major life changes, and major life disappointments. We often feel alone and sad when we are disappointed by our losses. I will help you to develop a plan to recover move forward toward an inner peace with the past. We will move at your pace and honor your response to your loss.

Though I don't pathologies grief and loss, I help to prevent it from continuing to burden your life by (1) allowing you to freely talk about the deceased; (2) assisting with distinguishing grief from a traumatic event, and (3) assist you in dealing with any guilt and effectively organize your grief. We support persons encountering grief, adjusting to loss, in need of bereavement care, as well as seeking support while facing an anticipated loss.

Loss is inevitable. It is the flip side of love and the greatest pain we know. Hearts can break and hearts can heal. We must first accept ALL feelings. We can cultivate gratitude for the gifts our loved one gave us. Sometimes it is also important to acknowledge and learn from the mistakes of the one we have lost., the ways they may have caused pain to themselves and others. If the person has been a large part of our daily living, it is as if we need to recreate our lives bringing new resources into the emptiness. The waves of extreme pain become less frequent with time. The person's memory remains with us, and their gifts to us can inspire those very strengths in ourselves.

Grief and loss can require therapy because they frequently involve trauma--death, divorce, moves, job losses. They lead to a feeling of loss-of-control in many areas of life, even when the control you had is actually still there. In therapy, we work through the loss and accompanying grief, and find ways to express your feelings while still recognizing the trauma--and the reasons for the loss. We create coping mechanisms and turn negative ideas into positive ones.