Grief and Loss Counseling in Herndon, VA.

There is no right way to grieve. Each person and each experience is different. Loss affects even the strongest relationships and people can feel off balance for a long time. Sometimes people feel like they will never be happy again or feel guilty when they do experience a moment of pleasure. We will help you explore where you may be feeling stuck and develop ways to adjust to a new normal.

Working with a grieving person is deep and delicate work, as all the other losses prior to the present one arise. There is a non-linear process that takes time, and the willingness to honor the grieving process. In addition to talk therapy, I often use Brainspotting (https://brainspotting.pro/) or Biofield tuning (https://biofieldtuning.com/) to help the person release the emotions from the body. Ultimately, grieving is about acceptance and love.

The death of a loved one can be extremely painful. For some, loss and grief can become prolonged and severe and can negatively impact functioning. Our team of highly trained and experienced psychiatrists and therapists are here to assist you during your loss. Your doctor or therapist at APS will work closely with you to tailor your treatment to your needs. There are times when counseling alone can be sufficient for reducing symptoms and for getting you back to a healthy place. At other times, medication may be needed in conjunction with therapy. APS is comprised of a multidisciplinary team of specialists who can also work closely together to coordinator your care in your time of need.

Some individuals enter psychotherapy without serious mental health symptoms but are managing a difficult life transition like a divorce, family changes, death/bereavement, moving, processing identity changes, adoption, job changes and medical issues. These individuals are often looking for a place to process this transition and to gain support for the life change. Psychotherapy is not only for a psychiatric diagnosis, like depression or anxiety, some enter therapy to process transitions so that they may better manage their life and achieve their goals. Some people dread the life transition they are facing or fear change; therapy helps these people to feel enriched by the life event and/or develop an enhanced sense of meaning or purpose as a result....(view profile to read more)

Career coaching services include guiding clients who are transitioning back into the workplace or ready to move forward in their career plan. All coaching services include resume and linkedIn profile review, job searching strategies, networking and interviewing preparation and negotiation assistance. I look forward to helping you move forward in your career and life plan.

Losing someone or something you love is profoundly painful. One of the greatest myths we hear is that “time heals all wounds.” In reality, time often deepens the ache unless we give ourselves permission to grieve. Healing requires space to mourn, honor what has been lost, and gently begin to carry it in a new way. It is my privilege to walk alongside clients as they move through grief toward healing, meaning, and peace.

Grief and loss do not have to take over your life! There is a way to recover from unexpected loss and find life where there was once only grief. Find out more about a compassionate and structured way to heal, that makes use of and redeems difficult or painful emotions that get triggered from grief and loss. Your mind remembers (even if you think you've forgotten) how to balance itself. We use an effective and modern counseling approach that taps into the brain's amazing ability to re-mold itself when faced with catastrophic loss or pain. All psychotherapies aren't the same when it comes to knowing how to quickly facilitate this natural brain mechanism. Visit our website for free resources.

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.

Life can present you with difficult situations which are hard to process and move past. These challenges are not on your timeline and affect everything. Having worked in many healthcare settings, I am familiar navigating life-changing events and grief. I understand the territory of encountering loss, coping with trauma, the complexity of the medical system and living with illness. These issues can have ripple effects on your relationships, sense of self and perceptions of the world. I know how complex things can get, and I will support you during this process.

Grief & Loss For those who grieve, I offer support and encouragement for healing from their loss. Working through shock, numbness, denial, and disbelief is common to the grieving process, as well as emotions such as anger, guilt, and depression that may emerge. I support my clients in working through their grief, which helps them avoid physical or psychological symptoms. Readjustment and transformation develop gradually, as a new life emerges.

As much as any of us might wish grief and loss weren't a part of life, if we can integrate them into who you become, we really do grow to a better version of ourselves. The pain of grief isn't something to "get over," and the messages we sometimes get from others to do it can lead to withdrawal, more pain, and more feelings of loss. Working through your grief isn't about "closure" -- trying to close the door on your sadness and loss doesn't serve you. But with support, you can find your way forward to growth, joy, and a fuller life.

Our society doesn't always do such a great job understanding grief and loss...well-meaning friends and family just want you to "move on" and "be okay". When I work with clients around grief and loss, I try to educate them on the wave-like quality of grief; that it comes in waves, and ebbs and flows. Just because it comes back occasionally doesn't mean you're not healing - it takes time, patience and understanding, but you can heal.

Learning how to healthily grieve is foundational to experiencing peace in the midst of a broken world. We all experience various forms of loss, from the "little" disappointments that we don't even consciously notice, to the catastrophic losses that feel as though they will drown us. We are relational beings who are meant to grieve and work through all of these in the context of relationships. As one who is no stranger to loss, I know how scared we can be to face our grief and loss. And I know the great peace and strength that comes through doing so. I would be honored to guide and walk with you in your grief journey, helping you to eventually find new life on the other side of your loss.