Grief or Loss

Grief is complex in nature and impacts each one of us uniquely. In therapy, I like to provide my clients with a safe, nonjudgmental space to explore their symptoms and navigate through the stages of grief.

I have personal and professional experience with loss and grief. If you are seeking therapy to cope with this pain, I'm sorry for your loss. I view the pain of grief as a reflection of how important your loved one is in your life. It would be my honor to provide emotional support, perspective and healing energy during this most challenging of times.

Disenfranchised grief refers to grief that is unacknowledged by others or by social norms. Many HCPs work in roles exposing them to intense and repeated loss. Since these losses are an expected part of the work, individuals can begin to feel that they should be able to take them in stride. But just because losses are expected, that doesn’t mean that they don’t hurt. Acknowledging and feeling your own grief in no way diminishes your compassion for the grief of others.

The worst has happened and you're: Feeling Intense sorrow & pain Unable to focus/obsessing over the past or avoiding reminders. Intensely longing or pinning for the deceased. Feeling shocked over and over, "It can't be true." Feeling numbness or detachment. Drowning in loneliness for your loved one. Don't go through this alone. Myself and the support system you already have, or the one I can help you build, will be there as you face this difficult time.

Claudia completed The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care - Foundations Program, where she offered spiritual care and counsel for the sick, dying and their families.

I work with a wide variety of individuals ranging from 14 to 74, some of which struggle are working through the healing process from grief and loss. Whether losing a loved one, a friend, a fur family member, a career or working through personal health concerns; having someone to walk through it with you helps provide the support and healing needed most.

Grief and loss are unavoidable experiences in life, but knowing that cognitively doesn't always make it any easier. I believe in creating a safe space for individuals and couples to explore and process their emotions surrounding the loss of a loved one, a relationship, a job, or any significant aspect of their life. I believe we are inherently resilient creatures who feel deeply; experiencing grief and loss with my clients is something I feel honored to be able to provide.

As a former hospice social worker, I know that grief isn’t something we simply "get over." It’s not linear, and it stays with us in different ways. Therapy can help you learn to live with the presence of your grief, rather than trying to erase it. I’m here to support you as you navigate the waves of loss, creating space for your feelings and helping you find ways to carry your grief with compassion and understanding.

I was previously a certified grief professional and have extensive experience in grief and loss. I also have experience in hospice work and end of life challenges.

Trained in Grief and Loss and a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, I can help you move through your loss and find joy and purpose again. I utilize the Grief Recovery Method to will help you work through your losses and identify what has been holding you back, areas where you have gotten stuck, and learning how to let go of the pain and suffering. I also am trained in Brainspotting and getting trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy.

Grief and loss has been the most influential teacher in my life. Losing a best friend to suicide, seeing my vitality shrink due to chronic illness, and thriving from past interpersonal traumas have all set me on a path to work passionately with people who are learning to say goodbye. I've worked with hospice clients during their final moments and with the bereaved (including grief workers themselves) as their loved ones are transitioning. These connections have been made in art studios, in grief circles out in nature and as intimately as bedside. Grief effects every single part of our identity, so our work will be to survive and thrive through it. My being a competent grief counselor means we will try out the Dual Processing Model, make space for your personal/cultural/spiritual/religious rituals, and use Narrative Therapy tenets to help find meaning and strength beyond grief, loss and death.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) Helps identify and replace negative thought patterns with more positive ones Techniques include reframing, restructuring, and developing a new narrative about the loss

I have a certification in grief and have worked with clients experiencing acute grief due to death or living losses (job, relationship, moving, cutting off family, etc), as well as complicated grief.

I have worked with individuals, families, and groups regarding the topic of grief and loss, in both the medical and mental health fields for the past 30 years. Grief and loss can be experienced as a result of death, relationship loss, occupational loss, and through health-related issues. I work with clients consistently that have experienced these issues.

Grief and loss affect all of us at one time or another. Coping with grief and loss - whether it is sudden or expected - is a highly individual process. Such losses can dramatically affect our ability to cope. It can be very scary and unimaginable for us to think about plans for the future without our loved one. Grieving becomes complicated when our loved one died from a traumatic event or suicide. Please reach out if you are struggling with these issues.

This is really the human experience in that we all endure a variety of losses in life - from unmet expectations to changing relationships to retirement to the illness and/or death of a loved one - and we process that grief in a culture that does not support us as well as it could/should. Along with my own experiences with grief and loss, I have taken multiple classes and witnessed alongside numerous clients in their stories of grief and loss.