Grief Therapists in Washington, DC

Therapy is a choice that may allow for insight, personal awareness and change. Therapy allows you to increase self-awareness so that you can be accountable for you thoughts, feelings, and actions and learn to avoid triggering situations, unhelpful patterns of behavior and overcome challenges you are facing. I firmly believe in a person's potential for growth by integrating aspects of their past into the present in an effort to heal. As you learn to externalize parts of your self, it is my hope that you become more comfortable with vulnerability and present in your daily life.

**I am accepting a limited # of new clients; currently telehealth only** My specialty and passion is working with highly motivated young professionals seeking support with stressful life transitions, career/identity development, and interpersonal relationships. Many of my clients often seek therapy during periods of heightened anxiety, depression, and other mood-related issues, as well as to address past traumas and/or grief and loss . Additionally, as a holistic mental health practitioner, I will encourage you to develop a deeper understanding of the mind-body connection as a powerful tool to improve your daily life and wellbeing.

I am a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist who treats adults and older adolescents seeking individual psychotherapy for a range of issues, including depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, life transitions, relationships, and loss . My approach is eclectic but is fundamentally psychodynamic.

We all carry wounds which affect our inner well-being, our relationships, and our ability to engage with the world. By facing our pain and suffering with compassion, we have the power to transform it into strength. Often, we cannot do this alone. Therapy is a journeying together to discover your own capacity for resilience and strength and healing into your deeper, truer self. I cultivate therapeutic relationships built on deep trust and incorporate mindfulness, narrative awareness, strengths-based insight building, and cognitive restructuring, focusing from a spiritual perspective on what gives meaning, purpose, and connection.

The DC area is home to so many people deeply connected to their pets and companion animals. But what happens when your pet is terminally ill, dies, or goes missing and is never found? What emotional support is available to help you manage these painful and intense feelings? I provide support for people going through this devastating and disorienting experience. Having gone through this experience myself, I understand how incredibly painful and difficult it feels. I am here to help you to honor your pet, process your grief , develop new routines, and take steps towards healing. I also provide grief coaching services.

Life can be overwhelming and you are not alone in your struggles. Though reaching out for help can feel scary, making this choice is often transformative. You deserve support and to have hope in your life. Therapy with me is a process where this happens and I find it an honor to walk beside and gently guide you through whatever you may be experiencing. I believe in basing our therapeutic relationship on acceptance, genuineness, and empathy. I work with all types of people--children, adolescents, and adults--who are struggling with the external, internal, or both in a non-judgmental, strengths-based, trauma-informed manner.

I specialize in working with adults, millennials, students, and adolescents contending with grief and loss , school and job stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, and life transitions. I use solution-focused, brief therapy to increase my clients' resiliency and their ability to cope with life's challenges. I help clients find meaning and purpose in their daily lives and assist them in identifying and meeting personal goals. I am a frequent contributor to articles in publications such as Parade, TodayShow.com, Refinery29, Bustle, The Daily Beast, and Teen Vogue.

Unexpected challenges, loss , or the simple momentum of life can sometimes make it hard to feel solid or know how to respond. Inner distress or outward behaviors can make it difficult to feel good about oneself or get along with others. At these times, one can benefit greatly from the support of a trained therapist to explore experiences, feelings, and concerns. I create a confidential supportive space where clients have the opportunity to draw upon their inner strengths and capacity to grow, discover new perspectives, tools, and options for behavior, and develop as individuals to improve their quality of life.

People seek psychotherapy feeling unhappy or helpless to bring about change in their life or fulfill their dreams. Patients are overcome with symptoms of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse or other problems, which in reality are unconscious defenses, blocking repressed feelings about something that went wrong, often in childhood, which is not yet resolved. These defenses once were adaptive, by protecting and helping them survive, but are no longer effective. I help people work through their underlying grief and face their feelings (sadness, anger, disappointment, yearning, powerlessness) surrounding trauma or loss , enabling them to engage in more free, authentic, satisfying lives.

Everyone needs a soft place to fall. The loss of a loved one disrupts everything in our lives and the intense emotions of grief can be overwhelming. This can be especially true for children who don't yet have the words to express themselves or for adolescents who are struggling with their need for emotional support but wanting to appear "normal" among their peers. Specializing in expressive therapies such as sandtray therapy, I help children, adolescents and adults cope with loss or trauma, and I help adults in need of assistance with learning more adaptive ways to cope with life's developmental challenges and changes.

Welcome! I want to praise you for taking the first step toward change, healing, and personal growth. I strive to create a warm and safe environment for my clients. My therapeutic style tends to be empathic, authentic and collaborative. I practice therapy from an eclectic approach often utilizing CBT, The Unified Protocol, and Attachment Theory. I work with adults, families, and have a special interest working with adolescents.

Sometimes, life imposes barriers or rifts on our path, leaving us lost or stuck, uncertain of how to move forward. I support those who arrive at this place by holding a container for deeper self exploration and reflection to foster the remembrance of one's innate abilities to heal and walk forth. Individuals connect with me for a trusted space to tend to wounds of developmental and ancestral trauma, sexual and domestic violence, and grief and loss . Others seek me out for support in cultivating an integrated awareness of themselves, their relationships, and their part in our world or to prepare for and process psychedelic journeys.

I identify as an ethicist; a Womanist who advocates and practices feminist ideals, cultural humility through continuous learning, bodily integrity, reproductive justice, and pacifism by utilizing non-violent resistance techniques. I believe children have rights, whistleblowers are vital in society, I embrace LGBTQ+, Black Lives Matter is factual, and representation matters. I practice mindfulness with the philosophy of ‘margin to center’ action. I embody, advocate, and support activism in action and respect of human rights. Neither ever ends, even when it is inconvenient or uncomfortable. We must remain firmly resolved.

If you are in the midst of a daunting medical diagnosis or grieving a painful loss , I am glad you found my page. Perhaps you are caring for a loved one, and find yourself mentally and physically exhausted, or you're a healthcare professional and you're feeling overwhelmed. Or maybe you are about to embark on treatment for cancer and are struggling with a tangled ball of emotions. In my work with clients, I create a safe, compassionate space to unpack and explore these issues, and to be a companion on your journey toward healing, growth, and transformation. Whatever brought you here today: I am here to listen.

I specialize in working with people experiencing grief and loss , depression, chronic sadness, anxiety and stress, who are in the process of adjusting to difficult life transitions. I am also passionate about supporting people facing acute, chronic, and life-limiting health conditions, as well as caregivers, physicians, nurses, and healthcare professionals who are looking for support in coping with compassion fatigue, burnout, and vicarious trauma. These experiences of human resilience and strength provide a context of compassionate understanding and trust, and deeply inform my therapeutic work and approach.

People come for psychotherapy when they are hurting or feeling stuck in unproductive thinking and behavior. This can manifest in depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, issues with career and work performance and self deprecating behaviors. Loss , grief and illnesses can be hard to bear and cause feelings of aloneness. What is often needed is a safe environment for the cultivation of acceptance and compassion and the willingness to wisely explore in a trusting relationship. Developing space to have a new understanding of difficulties can open to greater awareness, sense of possibility and the capacity to live more fully.

Are you struggling with negative thoughts, losing interest in things? You are at a point where you have difficulties coping and getting back to your life. You may find yourself in a situation in which you experienced a personal loss such as a loved one, a job promotion, the stresses of being a family caregiver for a loved one. There's help to alleviate your situation.

I specialize in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a mindfulness-based behavior therapy that focuses on helping clients live fulfilling and meaningful lives even with the struggles of everyday life. I offer a collaborative approach that helps to guide clients toward their goals through fostering insight and acceptance while also reducing avoidance behaviors. I believe that every person has a natural internal strength that I seek to foster through empowerment. My ultimate goal is to help clients drop the struggle and live a valued life so they can manage the inevitable ups and downs of the human experience on their own.

Compassionate therapy has the power to help people reflect, grow, and change. Using a warm and engaging approach, I collaborate with clients to develop treatment strategies that work based on research-based techniques. I specialize in working with clients struggling with relationship issues, OCD, grief and loss , and difficult life transitions, including changes in roles or identity.

Adult clients come to me when feeling stuck, anxious or depressed. Others are coping with trauma, loss , or a major life change. Using a variety of approaches, I help clients gain insight and self-acceptance, to navigate life transitions from a position of strength, to grow in relationships, and to make meaning from loss . Therapy is a wonderful form of self-care. Whether you are in crisis or just feeling stuck, I strive to be an honest, accepting, and active partner in your journey to greater fulfillment.