Specialty
Grief counseling for the losses people don't always name.
Grief is bigger than we've been told. Death is one shape of it - but so is divorce, estrangement, chronic illness, a lost identity, the version of your life you thought you'd have. All of it deserves room.
The kinds of grief I hold space for
- Death of a parent, partner, sibling, child, or friend.
- Divorce, separation, and the end of long relationships.
- Estrangement - chosen, imposed, or somewhere in between.
- Ambiguous loss: dementia, addiction, incarceration.
- Identity loss - coming out, deconstructing faith, leaving a career.
- Reproductive loss, medical grief, and chronic illness.
- Disenfranchised grief - the losses others don't recognize.
How we work
There's no timeline and no stage sequence to move through. We slow down, let the grief be as complicated as it actually is, and use body-based tools like Brainspotting when the pain sits somewhere words can't reach. You'll never be rushed to "move on."
Common questions about grief counseling
How long does grief last?
There is no schedule. Grief changes shape more than it disappears - it gets less loud and more livable. Anyone who gives you a timeline is guessing.
What is disenfranchised grief?
Loss the people around you do not recognize as loss - estrangement, a pet, a miscarriage, leaving a faith community, the end of a friendship. The grief is real even when no one sends a card.
Do I need grief counseling if it has been years?
Not too late, not too much. Grief that was never given room often shows up later as anxiety, numbness, or anger, and it can be tended whenever you are ready.
Is this the five stages of grief?
No. The stages were originally written about dying, not grieving, and most people do not move through them in order. We follow your grief instead of a model.
What is complicated or prolonged grief?
When grief stays intense enough, long enough, that it keeps you from living your life - persistent longing, difficulty accepting the loss, and a sense that you stopped in time. It responds well to therapy, including body-based work like Brainspotting.
Where do you practice?
Telehealth in Washington, Wisconsin, and Florida. Sessions are 53 minutes.