The experience of loss is profound, and it can take many forms. Loss is often discussed in relation to death or dying. You can experience the loss of a person or a pet. You can experience the process of your own death, or someone else’s. We often culturally reserve grief as an emotional experience warranted by death and bereavement, which we’ll talk more about below, but at Devoted Healthcare we also want to normalize grief as a likely reaction to any loss. You can experience the loss of a marriage, of a partner, of a career, of stability, of dreams you’ve had for yourself, of purpose, of health.
Regardless of the kind of loss, if you’ve been taught to avoid conversations around loss, when it arrives, it can be exceedingly difficult to make sense of what has happened, and to ask for support. Even those who feel prepared for a loss are often surprised at the depth and intensity of their experience. At Devoted Healthcare we see the feelings that surround grief and loss as important and powerful. Your process of grief is valuable and real, and we’d be honored to accompany and support you.
Death, Dying & Bereavement
Death and dying, in whatever form—whether sudden, after a long illness, intimately close, quite distant, still impending, a single instance, or tragically frequent—can be painful, overwhelming, and life-changing. When encountering death, you are pushed, all at once, to a new place. Proximity to death often provides a new frame of reference for living and motivates an examination of your mortality and your own life.
The questions death raises are often big, existential ones about identity, purpose, relationship, love, and meaning. These are difficult questions to hold by yourself. Depending upon the circumstances, death and the questions it raises can be very different—a miscarriage or stillbirth might raise questions distinct from those generated by the death of a loved one at an old age. This does not mean that the questions prompted by one kind of loss are more significant—all the questions that death brings up are valid and relevant.
Unlike many other experiences, death is permanent. Despite this enormity and the inevitable universality of loss, the dominant culture provides few templates to address the questions death raises for the living and offers few places to have discussions about death and dying before they occur. Whether it is the death of another or our own death, we are taught to avoid thinking and speaking directly about the topic. After death, culture and society likewise dissuade people from grieving publicly, sending the message that big feelings of grief or bereavement are inappropriate or wrong. We know that grief is normal and human.
How Does Counseling Help?
Counseling can offer those experiencing grief a supportive space to feel deeply, process their experience, and openly ask big and reflective questions. Grief counseling helps you:
- Find meaning or make meaning of your own.
- Integrate the experience of a loss- This can mean integrating loss into your identity, finding new connections, or figuring out how to live authentically in the context of loss.
- Navigate the generative process of reworking or recreating the ideas of what life is “supposed” to be or look like.
- Respond to the isolating facets of grief-the therapeutic relationship is intimate and connected. Through this intimacy, your therapist can be with you—a witness to your grief, a support, and a grounding, present connection.
- Prevent engaging in behaviors that are out of character or risky
Counseling provides an environment where talking about loss, death, or dying is accepted, welcomed, and valued. You do not have to grieve alone.
When Should I Seek Grief Counseling?
Some people choose to seek therapy immediately after a loss, while others wait until they feel the most acute pain has passed to begin delving more deeply into their emotions. For some, the anticipation of a loss or death urges them to seek support even before the loss has occurred. As with the process of grief, there is no right time to seek support. We are here for you—ready to feel deeply, think broadly, and make meaning together.
Let's Begin.
You are not in this alone. You were never meant to be. Each and every one of us innately possesses strengths to live more enriching, joyful lives; let us help you to (re) connect to your strengths to find well-being.
Our Fees
Our Standard Individual Session is 50 minutes weekly. Relationship Sessions generally range from 90 minutes to 120 minutes and can sometimes occur semi-weekly; your counselor will discuss options with you during your phone consultation.
- Income-Based Sliding Scale Fees
- Individuals $80 to $125
- Relationships (60 & 90 minutes) $100 to $225
- Groups $175 to $250 for monthly package
Finally, we recognize that our sliding scale fees will be outside of the budgetary constraints for many. We hope you will consider joining one of our therapy groups, which provide a more accessible option. We will also happily work with you to provide referrals to clinics and practitioners that can offer sustainable, low-fee options.
Reasons For Teletherapy Online Counseling Sessions
We know that there are times when virtual sessions are the best option for our clients. If you’re interested in counseling via video chat, we can accommodate you. We also offer phone sessions for our established clients, but we prefer to use video chat whenever possible because this option most closely resembles a regular office visit. Some of the reason’s individuals choose teletherapy include:
- Safety – during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are offering telehealth and phone sessions exclusively in an attempt to protect the health of our clients, clinicians, families, and the greater community.
- Convenient Scheduling – we know how busy our clients are, and the commute to our office location, in addition to time spent in our office, may not be feasible every week. Inability to find the time shouldn’t to be the only reason you’re not able to engage in thoughtful, supportive therapy sessions on a regular basis, and telehealth visits can make it easier for you to fit therapy into your day.
- Welcome Us into Your Space – we have worked hard to create an office that feels welcoming, comfortable, bright, and peaceful, and we love inviting our clients to see us here. However, we never really get to see you in your element on your home turf, and telehealth gives us that ability. We can see you in your home, meet your pets and plants, and give you the opportunity to show us even more of what makes you – you.
- Privacy – many individuals tell us that they don’t feel like they can tell their boss about leaving the office for a therapy session or they don’t want to explain the visits to other people. We fully encourage our clients to feel confident and comfortable caring for their needs, but we also respect your need for privacy. Teletherapy sessions may be a good option to avoid these awkward chats with your boss and others you don’t want to know your business.
How Telehealth Sessions Work
Before your first telehealth session, your clinician will provide you with all of the information about accessing our telehealth platform. We encourage you to read this information carefully, try out the software, and contact us if you have questions. Once you’re in the video chat, we will do our utmost to ensure your sessions proceed just like they would if you were in our office. You should feel free to talk openly, ask questions, and continue your therapeutic exploration just like you would during a traditional session.
Private, Safe & Secure – Our Promise To Every Client
We’ve all seen the horror stories about online information being accessed through a security breach, and we understand this is a very real fear for many of our clients when it comes to engaging in online counseling sessions. We want to reassure you that our team uses a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform that has been rigorously tested for network security strength in order to ensure your private information is safe and secure. You can further minimize risk for data security breaches by taking the following steps when accessing our telehealth platform:
- Use a password protected device
- Create a strong password with a combination of upper- and lower-case text, numbers, and special characters
- Change your passwords regularly
- Avoid reusing passwords or using passwords that can easily be connected to you (pet names, addresses, birthdays, etc.)
- Don’t share your password with others
- Log out of all applications at the end of each session
- Do not use public Wi-Fi during teletherapy sessions unless this is your only option
- Clear your browser history, cache, and cookies immediately after each session