Grief and loss counseling.

Grief is a natural response to losing someone or something that matters deeply to us.

And while grief is universal, the experience of it is profoundly personal. There is no single way to grieve, no predictable timeline, and no point at which you are supposed to be "over it."

Grief counseling offers a place to bring whatever your loss has stirred—sadness, anger, relief, guilt, loneliness, confusion, fear, even moments of joy. Sometimes grief is overwhelming. Other times it is surprisingly quiet, appearing in ordinary moments in ways that surprise you. You may feel deeply changed while the world around you seems to have continued as though nothing happened.

I work with people experiencing grief in its many forms, including the death of a spouse, partner, parent, child, family member, friend, or beloved animal. I also support people facing anticipatory grief when someone they love is seriously ill or approaching the end of life. Grieving can begin long before a death, particularly when illness changes a relationship, creates caregiving responsibilities, or asks us to confront a future we hoped would look very different.

Not every loss involves a death. We can grieve the end of a relationship, changes in our health or abilities, infertility, retirement, estrangement from family, the loss of a career or community, or a version of ourselves and our future that no longer feels possible. Sometimes these losses are difficult to name, and because other people may not recognize them as grief, we can feel especially alone in carrying them.

My approach to bereavement counseling is grounded in the belief that grief is not a problem to solve or a disorder to overcome. Therapy does not require you to leave someone behind, find closure, or stop missing them. Instead, we make space for the reality of the loss while exploring how you to continue living alongside it.

Grief also affects the body. Sleep, concentration, appetite, energy, memory, and your ability to manage everyday responsibilities may change. When helpful, I incorporate mindfulness, body awareness, breathing, and other experiential practices to support you when grief feels overwhelming or difficult to put into words.

For those experiencing anticipatory grief, counseling can provide a place to acknowledge emotions that may be difficult to share elsewhere. You may be simultaneously hoping for more time and preparing for a death. You may feel exhausted by caregiving, frightened about what is coming, or guilty for imagining life afterward. Love, grief, relief, fear, resentment, gratitude, and hope can exist together. You do not have to choose only one.

Sometimes, when you are grieving, even leaving the house can feel like too much. Getting ready, driving across town, or simply being around other people may require energy you do not have right now. Virtual grief counseling allows you to meet with me from the privacy and familiarity of your own home. You can show up exactly as you are, without having to make yourself presentable or pull yourself together first. Online grief therapy can also make consistent support more accessible during a time when your energy, responsibilities, or ability to be away from home may change from week to week.

My work is informed by my professional experience with grief, serious illness, aging, caregiving, and end-of-life concerns, as well as my training as an end-of-life doula. I also understand grief personally. These experiences have strengthened my belief that people who are grieving rarely need someone to tell them how to do it. More often, they need somewhere they do not have to protect other people from the depth or complexity of what they are feeling.

Loss changes us. The goal of therapy is not to return you to exactly who you were before. Together, we can honor what has been lost, understand what you are carrying, and explore how you want to continue living—with space for sorrow, love, memory, meaning, and whatever comes next.