Anna Darbonne (she/her)

I'm a licensed Clinical Psychologist who has worked in various mental health capacities for over a decade. My experience includes individual, couples, and family counseling for grief & bereavement, peak performance, substance abuse, dementia, university campus, and community behavioral health. I also have special certification in Compassionate Bereavement Care® through the Center for Loss and Trauma in partnership with the MISS Foundation and the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Family Trust. I view us as equal collaborators in the work. Most of the time, you talk while I listen intently. I may ask clarifying questions, encourage you to consider things from a different perspective, or explore with you how to better reach your goals. When appropriate, I will teach skills or techniques to help you respond to your struggles. I will cheer you on, cry with you, and celebrate your growth along the way. I won't judge. My goal is for you to feel truly heard and accepted each time we are together.

We grieve when we lose what we love -- so grief is love, and love doesn't need to be “fixed.” In fact, there is no "fixing" grief or "fixing" bereaved parents/spouses/children because they will love their child/spouse/parents forever. While therapy is my passion, I also know that when it comes to grief, friends and family generally suck at knowing what to say and do to help (or what not to say/do). Grievers are often told platitudes and euphemisms that are isolating and end discussions rather than expand them. Not that people intentionally cause harm; they don't realize those one liners have the opposite effect as their intention. As such, a lot of my work in the community is providing death education -- to normalize the grieving process, explain that there is no "normal" timeline, teach how to support the bereaved in helpful ways, and to give permission for the bereaved to mourn however feels right and for however long they need as they navigate the transition and find new purpose.