- I understand what it's like to have your world shattered when you learn your baby has died. Our first child was stillborn at 41 weeks.
- I know the seemingly endless time it takes to start to put the pieces back together.
- I've felt the well-intended pressure from loved ones to "move forward" when instead, we want desperately to hear they recognize and acknowledge our profound loss.
- I've experienced the urge to focus on the joy even when the pain is still there and have felt the need to pretend it's faded.
- I know how this enduring pain, this "shadow grief" colors and influences how we parent our living children.
Ready to Make an Appointment?
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the mother of four living children, including twins.
Along with its many beloved, touching moments, parenting has its challenges. For a parent who has lived through loss(es), these times can be particularly difficult. By having a safe, nurturing atmosphere to assimilate these past experiences, you can become more successful in your role as a parent, more present for your children and gain a greater sense of peace.
I have both the professional and practical experience to assist parents who have experienced loss as they develop new strategies for raising their children.
Parenting After a Loss. Counseling for parents to learn ways to manage residual grief without it intruding on how they parent their surviving children.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor Degree in Clinical Psychology, UCLA, 1988
- Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology, Pepperdine, 1996
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, 1998
- Advanced training in Family Counseling
- Twenty years experience as a practicing psychotherapist for Individuals, Couples and Families
- Advanced training in early attachment, insecure-attachment issues and parenting interventions
- Grief Training Intensive Seminar, Our House, 2011
- MISS Certified Provider in Compassionate Bereavement Care, 2015
Personal Story of Child Bearing Loss:
After several years of infertility we were thrilled to learn that we were expecting our first baby. Everything proceeded well with the pregnancy until our precious baby suddenly died at 41 weeks from a cord accident. Our following three pregnancies were all high risk, each entailing months of bed rest. With ample time to wait and anxiously anticipate whether my ensuing babies would arrive safely, I decided to learn how to manage my concerns through various positive strategies. Now, as an involved parent of four teens, I continue to utilize these methods of responding to various parenting interactions, yielding mutually respectful and productive dynamics within our family.