Openly explore your feelings, learn coping skills, and receive compassionate support.
Grief, Loss, and Life Transitions Therapy
Therapy for adults and couples at my Arlington, VA office location and/or online for those residing in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and 40 other states.
Navigating losses and life transitions can have a significant impact on our psychological well-being.
There’s no denying that life often presents us with our fair share of challenges, usually in the form of change. At times, the change can be sudden and may feel traumatic. Even if we “see it coming” it can also be very difficult.
Change often bring on a variety of feelings. Often, it’s accompanied with stress as you adjust to the new reality. It may also bring about feelings of uncertainty, doubt, disappointment, fear, irritability, and sadness.
“The only constant in life is change.”
— Heraclitus
We know that change is an inevitable part of life, but simply knowing that doesn’t always make it comfortable.
Perhaps you are…
New to parenthood (or considering it) and the experience isn’t what you thought it would be
Grieving a loss or experiencing anticipatory grief
Dealing with a divorce or breakup
Trying to manage life after discovering something new about your partner, or wondering how to share important news with them
Navigating a new health diagnosis for yourself or someone you care about
Adjusting to (or considering) a new job or move to a new city
Going through a job loss or retirement and are feeling a loss of identity and purpose
Maybe you’re not used to asking for help, but this new change leaves you with no choice. It could feel like you have to reimagine your whole identity since this has happened.
With life transitions, it is common to experience a sense of grief at the loss you are experiencing, even if the transition was one that you expected or were looking forward to. Change can often be difficult because for everything we gain, something must be left behind.
If you are living with grief and loss, some days may feel unbearable. You may…
Have difficulty concentrating or accomplishing the simplest tasks
Experience appetite changes
Notice tension or other physical problems
Feel like you are “losing it,” or you may have trouble feeling anything at all
Each person’s experience is totally unique. Even people in the same family, grieving the same loss or going through the same transition, may have different reactions.
Grief is unpredictable. It’s something you have to take hour by hour, day by day. Sometimes you may feel shattered by the pain of your loss, at other times you may feel flooded by happy memories. It’s important to be kind to yourself when you’re mourning, since the process is not linear and there is no “set in stone” way to grieve.
What’s more, losing a loved one can be shocking no matter how it happens. For those of us who are adult children, pet parents, or caregivers, we like to think that we’ve been gradually preparing ourselves for when they will eventually pass. But when we lose them, it can still feel like a sudden, earth-shattering shock. It can make us question whether we will ever be loved or enjoy as much stability as we did when they were alive.
Seeking therapy during these times can provide useful support and guidance, helping to smooth the transition and reinforce personal growth. I offer a safe, confidential space to travel this often painful journey.
WHAT WE’LL DO TOGETHER
Therapy for grief, loss, and life transitions can help you to:
Engage in emotional processing
Access a compassionate, supportive space where you can talk openly about the changes your facing and your feelings about them.
Gain effective coping tools
Develop practical tools needed to mange stress, enhance resilience, and foster personal growth as you navigate loss and change.
Foster personal growth
Better understand your reactions and find meaning in the face of loss and change. Equipped with increased self-awareness and practical tools, meet future changes in your life with enhanced flexibility and resilience.
Common questions about therapy for grief, loss, and life transitions.
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Death of a person or pet
Illness or disability of yourself or a loved one
New job or career change
Retirement or job loss
Marriage or new relationship
Experiencing or considering parenthood
Relocation
Divorce, separation, or break-up
Adjusting to college
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My therapeutic approach focuses on understanding and adapting to change in a healthy and positive way.
First and foremost, I will listen to you, bear witness to your pain, and hold a space where you can grieve and explore feelings about change unreservedly, in your own way and at your own pace.
I am here to sit with you, support you, and guide you as you reflect on your loss and change. In therapy, you can explore and express the full range of emotions - shock, sadness, confusion emptiness, fear, guilt, regret, and even relief - with no reservations and without feeling like a burden.
In addition to this type of emotional processing and support, we may also apply a blend of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) techniques to help you recognize and adjust unhelpful thought patterns, develop relaxation and mindfulness practices that encourage presence and acceptance, and try on new behaviors to help ease the change.
My goal is to provide you with practical tools needed to mange stress, enhance resilience, and foster personal growth as you navigate through these significant losses or changes in your life.
“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in”
— Leonard Cohen