Supporting You and Your Relationships Through Life’s Deepest Changes

Relationship Counseling

Where Love Remains, Healing Begins.

Family Therapy for Grief & Trauma

Family therapy can be a beacon of hope for families struggling with a difficult circumstances. This especially true when there has been a significant loss. Every individual within a family system has a unique perspective and important insight to contribute even when all members are experiencing the same event(s). Coming together, in a neutral space, offers an opportunity to

  • have your experiences witnessed and honored

  • develop understanding of each individual family member’s style of coping or grieving,

  • process emotional, physical & relational changes,

  • build empathy & understanding,

  • create health coping strategies or grief rituals,

  • strengthen a nexus of support,

  • manage conflict should it arise,

  • and fortify bonds.

A Safe Haven for Navigating the Unimaginable.

Couple Therapy for Grief & Trauma

A devastating loss or traumatic event can change your relationship in many ways. And a profoundly painful experience, such as the loss of a child, often lives at the intersection of grief and trauma. Some challenges that couples experience are:

  • emotional reactivity, intense emotional pain

  • different coping/grieving styles

  • communication challenges,

  • changes in roles / responsibilities,

  • challenges with physical and emotional intimacy,

  • loss of life dreams or plans,

  • feelings of disconnection or isolation

The goal of a trauma-informed approach is to support growth, connection, and understanding. Accordingly, couple therapy generally focuses on:

  • the shared & individual experience(s) of the loss or traumatic event from a holistic, neurobiological perspective that includes cognitive, emotional, physical, behavioral, and spiritual components.

  • exploration of primary and secondary losses,

  • integration of practical coping strategies and/or grief rituals for daily living

  • memory reconsolidation to enhance flexibility and adaptability,

  • creation of new narratives to support individual and relational growth,

  • deeper connection with those living and deceased (if you so desire).

As an holistic couples therapist, I often blend different therapy modalities, depending on your needs. This includes, but is not limited, to:

  • systems theory (understanding the individual within the context of relationships | interconnected parts of a larger system),

  • the Gottman Method (research-supported interventions and theory),

  • Emotionally-Focused Therapy (rooted in attachment theory with an emphasis on emotional connection and patterns of interaction),

  • the Developmental Model (predictable stages of relationship development),

  • AIP | EMDR (the brain’s natural processes for storing, retrieving and reconsolidating information), and

  • Polyvagal theory (the role of the nervous system in shaping our experiences.