Grief and Loss Counseling in Dranesville, VA.

I help my clients process many kinds of loss, both real (death, separation, miscarriage) and ambiguous (dementia, missing persons, addictions), through their relationships and context. My training as a couple and family therapist helps me think about grief and loss through the lens of family stress. Empathic listening helps me understand your experience, and we work together to heal your grief and sadness at your own pace.

The pain of loss can be intense and all-consuming. Sorrow isolates you from others, even from those close to you who are likely also struggling through similar pain. Activities you once found meaningful, probably seem like a distant memory. The grief can make you feel lost and out-of-control. The goal of therapy for grief is to help you rebuild the ability to connect with others, restore purpose, and experience joy, while you transform the pain of loss into treasured memories.

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.

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.

One's grief and loss is very important for you to define with help and then work out each area until you have learned how to see the flags and cope with the truth. The fiction must be discovered from the truth, otherwise one will stay trapped. It's ok to cycle between the different stages of grief as long as you do not get stuck. It is a major key for me to listen to your pain. I have a free e-book called "Don't Waste Your Pain" Go download it; it's free to you.

The grieving process is intensely personal and intensely painful. It can feel as if the world has gone crazy and is spinning away without you. How do you make sense of anything in the face of such pain? The simplest tasks can feel impossible. Going to the grocery store, visiting the bank, walking the dog, and even making your morning coffee can trigger a heart-wrenching ache. With mindfulness and support, you CAN begin to heal and weave your loss into the tapestry of your life. You will laugh again, dream again, and love again.

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.

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.

Everyone reacts to death differently. Some become numb and will eventually disconnect from friends. Despair sets in as the reality of the loss settles. The grieving process can be long and isolating. My objective is to counsel the soul with methods generated by the Spirit of God. So that the process is in reliance to Him. Receiving reassurance and feeling understood is also part of the counseling process and will make the recovery process more complete during one of life's most challenging times. Even Jesus wept. It is okay to do so. It is both natural and biblical to grieve. It is part of the healing process that I look forward to helping you through. You are not alone.

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.

Experiencing loss is part of every life and learning to grieve our losses effectively is a necessary pathway to growth. Whether it is the death of a loved one, sickness, aging, financial setback or simply the loss of a dream, no one is untouched by the pain of life turning out differently than expected. My approach in therapy is to provide a safe and compassionate place for you to journey through the stages of grief resulting in new hope for the future. I believe that accepting our losses and learning to grieve well is a powerful tool for emotional and spiritual growth.

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.