Therapy for Grief and Loss
I am a doctoral-level psychologist licensed to provide therapy in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. I am PSYPACT authorized and can see clients in most states (for full list, click here)
There are all kinds of grief: for people and pets, of course, but also less talked-about grief for what could have been, for places and times in our lives, for health and physical ability, for something we can’t quite name.
Grief can pop up in unexpected places
even at times when we think we should be happy, like when we’ve achieved a goal, finished a creative project, made that move to another country, found a treatment that worked, done what we’d hoped to do.
Grief weaves its way in and out of our lives. We can’t avoid it, but processing and honoring it can help keep us from being hindered by it. Therapy can be a safe place to learn how to do that, especially if you can’t seem to find anyone around you who understands or if they are deep in their own grief and can’t hold space for yours in the ways you’d like them to.
I’ve accompanied many people through grief ranging from a loss so fresh it was still unfolding to losses that happened decades ago. I’ve been in the thick of it in nursing homes, by hospice bedsides, and in my own life. I’ve also had professional training to help me know how to help you in your grief.
You don’t have to do it alone. Whenever you feel ready, the door is open.
The reality of grief
is far different from what others see from the outside. There is pain in this world that you can't be cheered out of. You don't need solutions. You don't need to move on from your grief. You need someone to see your grief, to acknowledge it. You need someone to hold your hands while you stand there in blinking horror, staring at the hole that was your life. Some things cannot be fixed. They can only be carried.
Megan Devine, from It's OK That You're Not OK
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I am a licensed clinical psychologist with a doctorate in clinical psychology. I have also trained with grief and mourning experts like David Kessler and been a hospice volunteer. Over the years, I have gained experience using tools like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive-Behavioral therapy to help clients learn to cope with grief and losses of all kinds.
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We experience grief any time we lose something that we care about. It doesn’t have to be due to a death or a person or animal. Grief can come with a medical diagnosis, changes in living situations, the ending of a relationship, even the loss of an idea. Creatives may experience some grief at the completion of a project. If you find yourself experiencing symptoms like sadness, irritability, changes in sleep and appetite, difficulty with memory and concentration, among others, it may be useful to seek support from a trained professional.
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You’re right that therapy can’t “fix” grief or change what happened. But therapy can be a place to freely talk about the loss and slowly start to figure out what life after loss might look like for you. I will never tell you to “just get over it.” We can’t erase what happened; we just figure out how to carry it in a way that is less overwhelming. We can also get you tools for coping with the various effects of grief and loss.
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Everyone is different, but most research suggests that it takes approximately 12-15 therapy sessions to start to see clinically significant change. It may be longer if there are many issues you’d like to address and/or if they are complex.
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If you’re interested in seeing if we would be a good fit for therapy, I start with a free 15-minute consultation. If we both feel we can work together, then we meet for a 60-minute initial session for $175 where I can get more information to be able to better help you. After that, follow-up therapy sessions are 45 minutes and the rate is $150.