Counseling for Grief & Loss in California

Feel, Heal, Grow

Life moves on for others, but it stands still for you after your loss.

 

Miscarriage and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

You might have experienced a miscarriage, and very few people acknowledge your loss. Time has passed, but you still feel “stuck” in your sadness and are unable to move forward. Many do not understand this form of grief and loss, especially when it is associated with early pregnancy.

You were looking forward to your belly growing, setting up the nursery, naming your baby, and finding out if it was a boy or a girl. You loved This Baby deeply from the moment you learned you were pregnant. You want to try again, but you are afraid of another loss.

 Loss of Genetic Connection 3rd Party Reproduction

You might have experienced IVF and didn't find success. The fertility specialist is recommending egg donation. You might be grieving the loss of a genetic connection with your child. There is a lot for you to think about. You don't know how or whom to share this with.

Perhaps, you are experiencing unsuccessful IVF cycles and recurrent pregnancy loss. Your specialist is recommending a surrogate to improve your chances of bringing a baby home. You are grieving the dream of being pregnant, having a “normal” pregnancy, and carrying the baby yourself. You need a confidant in your life, someone who will listen to you and support you through this delicate decision.

Unexpected Tragic Loss

Perhaps, your pregnancy was moving along nicely. Then you received the dreadful news that you and/or your baby had medical complications. You had to face the harsh decision to terminate. You are now grieving this loss, and the grieving process seems endless. This was a personal decision, and very few people know the details. The curiosity of many continues, and every inquiry continues to re-open this wound.

Maybe, you lived the most devastating maternal experience. Your pregnancy ended in a stillbirth, infant death, or child death. You had very little time for your birth plan, a disposition plan, saying your goodbyes, and gathering precious keepsakes. The days and nights blend uninterrupted, and the days are long and lonely.

You struggle with intense sadness, experience loss of appetite, and find yourself crying and hiding from others. You need someone who can accompany you in your grief and give you the time and space to reflect and feel this deep sadness. You need to learn how to manage the pain of grief.

Life doesn't have to feel this way.

Grief is something that we will all experience in our lives. The pain caused by grief is inevitable, but the way we suffer is our choice. When we face a loss, we are often paralyzed - some of us for a while and others for long periods of time. There are people who, when faced with the emotional pain of losing a loved one, develop what is known as broken heart syndrome, which is a type of grief that can cause actual physical pain.

Bereavement counseling often proves to be of utmost help to people struggling with intense grief responses. Grief counseling techniques can help bereaved individuals go through the process of grief aware and in control of their emotions.

As an experienced mental health professional, I can help you overcome your prolonged grief while learning how to manage your natural feelings of sadness. I understand you are going through a challenging time and have to deal with an emotional experience not many understand.

We will work on processing your feelings, challenging catastrophic thinking, and building a circle of support. The goal is to help you mourn your loss while helping you move forward and live a full life.

With time, many can heal their own grief, but research shows that the sooner you build a circle of support that includes friends, family members, or a therapist, the faster and more successful you will be at resolving your grief and coming to terms with your feelings of loss.

My goal is to help you navigate the complex grief process and find the strength to enjoy life once again. You should never lose hope. You should believe that every journey toward motherhood can have beautiful experiences too. There is always room to love again and more deeply after a loss.

Counseling for Grief & Loss can help you:

 

  • Incorporate your loss in your life and learn to move forward with it

  • Learn to sit with your grief, reflect, and grow from this lived experience

  • Find a positive loving relationship that allows you space and time to heal

  • Learn to interrupt catastrophic thinking that keeps you stuck and living in fear

  • Explore and make meaning of your loss in a way that brings closure for you

  • Learn the difference between restorative and disruptive grief reactions

  • Find ways to develop an internal relationship/ritual of love in their absence

Let's re-discover the strength within you.

 Areas Of Expertise

  • Miscarriage

  • Recurrent pregnancy loss

  • Medical termination of pregnancy

  • Stillbirth

  • Infant death

  • Child death

  • Birth trauma

  • Infant experiencing a permanent or temporary life-limiting condition (NICU/Disability)

Frequently asked questions about trauma therapy

FAQs

  • You and others around you will notice changes in you after your loss. Grief and mourning can affect you emotionally, socially, cognitively, physically, and spiritually. Normal grief describes the typical emotions of a loss which can last weeks or months and is a normal human experience. Complicated and chronic grief is longer lasting, more intense, and can be accompanied by emotional/physical pain, avoidance, and /or persistent thoughts about the lost person. You will have little interest in pleasurable activities, and your thoughts will often return to the deceased person. Grief counselors know that grief has no timeline and there is no universal treatment. Your grief can affect you soon or much later after your loss, and responses to bereavement may vary on an individual level.

  • First, you should secure your free 15-minute consultation. If WE are a good fit, we can proceed with your initial evaluation and subsequent weekly or every-other-week therapy sessions.

  • I will be here when and if you are ready for therapy. You are the expert of you, and you can take your time making this decision.

  • The following are the insurances I am credentialed with through Hello Alma: Optum and Aetna (within these are the following programs):

    Cigna

    Optum

    • United Health Care

    • United Health Care shared Services (UHSS)

    • GEHA-United Health Care Shared Services (UHSS)

    • United Health Care Global

    • United Health Care Exchange Plans (ONEX)

    • Oscar

    • Harvard Pilgrim

    • Oxford

    • UHC Student Resources

    • UMR

    • All Savers (UHC)

    • Health Plans Inc

    • Surest (formerly Bind)

    Aetna

    • Meritain

    • Nippon

    • Allied Benefit Systems

    • GEHA-United Health Care Shared Services (UHSS)

    • Trustmark

    • Trustmark Small Business Benefits

    • Health Scope

    • Christian Brothers Services