Practice Areas
Specialized support for loss, grief, & trauma
My primary area of expertise is helping individuals who struggle following the loss of a loved one–assisting grievers as they maneuver through their pain and trauma, while also learning how to integrate the loss into their lives.
Because other areas of distress often emerge following the loss of a significant attachment figure, I also support adults as they discover the impact that their childhood experiences have on adulthood relationships. I assist them in understanding and addressing ongoing family of origin dynamics, exploring such issues as enmeshment, codependency, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and chronic over-functioning tendencies.
Traumatic Grief represents the trauma and grief associated with sudden, unexpected, traumatic, often violent death loss.
Complicated (or Prolonged) Grief is a persistent, debilitating, life-threatening form of grief. Grievers often feel stuck or overwhelmed and find it difficult to move forward without targeted therapy.
Losing someone to suicide often brings layers of shock, unanswered questions, and a sense of guilt. Without therapy, suicide loss can feel uniquely complicated, unbearable, and isolating.
Childhood relational trauma develops when emotional needs go unmet or when relationships feel unsafe in childhood. In adulthood, this often shows up as reactivity (fight, flight, freeze, or appease), difficulty trusting, or other unhealthy patterns in intimate relationships.
Many of us were raised in families without clear boundaries. As a result, we developed people-pleasing, perfectionistic, or chronic over-functioning tendencies, which can shape how we relate to ourselves and others in adulthood.
Other Types of Losses, Trauma, or Emotional Distress
In addition to the areas described above, I also work with adults who are navigating other forms of loss, trauma, or psychological distress that may not fit neatly into a single category.
Some people seek therapy to learn how to cope with the emotional and existential impact of chronic medical conditions or life-limiting illness, including the anticipatory grief that often accompanies these experiences. Others feel disoriented, unsettled, or distressed in ways that touch on questions of meaning, faith, sense of identity, or spiritual beliefs — particularly in the aftermath of loss or trauma.
Still others reach out for help following divorce, relationship breakup, job loss, etc. Regardless of the cause, however your loss is being experienced, your feelings are important, valid, and deserve healing attention.
You do not need to have a clear label or diagnosis in order to begin therapy with me. My work with clients is intended to support careful exploration, integration, and healing in the context of a trusting, therapeutic relationship. When you are ready, I am here to help.
When you are ready, I am here to help.
Traumatic Loss Grief Group
If you or someone you know has experienced a sudden, unexpected, traumatic, or violent loss, please consider joining our Traumatic Loss Grief Group.
Beginning therapy can feel vulnerable. If you see yourself reflected here, you don’t have to navigate your experiences alone.
Therapy is collaborative work. Whether you feel overwhelmed, emotionally numb, traumatized, or caught in cycles of reactivity, we can work toward greater emotional regulation over time. I warmly invite you to reach out.
Are you a Mental Health Provider?
I offer clinical consultation at my hourly rate to other licensed mental health professionals supporting patients experiencing loss, complicated grief, and traumatic death loss.
Please reach out to schedule an appointment to discuss your client-related needs and questions.