Specializing in
Loss & Betrayal
Loss
Life has lost its meaning. Someone, or something important to you, is gone. Your loss may be a person, a relationship, job, lifestyle, or something else. You feel empty and alone. Maybe you didn’t have a chance to say goodbye and there were things left unsaid, leaving you with regret and guilt. Or perhaps your loss occurred slowly over time, making the pain slow and unrelenting. Either way, you feel like life will never be the same and you can’t imagine how you will continue on. You may feel overwhelmed and anxious about your future.
Loss takes many forms, but the end result is the same. Life is different now. It requires change, which can be hard. You may need a little help moving forward and managing the different emotions you have. It can be very healing to have someone bear witness to your pain.
As a certified grief counseling specialist, I can help support you through different stages of your grief. We can explore areas where you might be “stuck”, how your loss has changed you, and how to create a life where you can experience joy and peace again.
Relational Betrayal
You feel like you’ve been on an emotional roller coaster. You walk around pretending to be ok, but inside you are slowly dying. Your life has been turned upside down and don’t even know who you are anymore. The person you loved and trusted most in this world has betrayed you. Whether the betrayal was by your partner or someone else close to you, your relationship is forever changed. You aren’t even sure what’s real anymore, and what’s a lie. Your heart feels like it’s been torn from your body and you know you can’t live like this anymore. You feel alone, confused, sad, mad, anxious, and unsure where to go from here.
Any of this sound familiar?
If your answer is yes, first let me say I’m so sorry you are going through this. Any kind of relational betrayal is very painful. There is hope, however. Together, we can work through the myriad of feelings you have, help you feel more stable, and align your personal values with your life so you can understand the next steps you need to take.
Sexual betrayal, in particular, is the most intimate and painful type of betrayal someone can experience. If you have discovered an act of infidelity in your relationship, or perhaps multiple sexual indiscretions, the effects can be traumatic.
I have completed training in the *Multidimensional Partner Trauma Model to help partners who have been sexually betrayed. As a CCPS-candidate (Certified Clinical Partner Specialist), I have a trauma-informed perspective and recognize the serious emotional injury that partners often experience when exposed to chronic sexual betrayal. I can help you heal and feel empowered to create the life you want.
*The Multidimensional Partner Trauma Model was developed by APSATS (The Association of Partners of Sex Addicts Trauma Specialists). CCSP is the certification given to a clinician by APSATS who have received both training and met required consultation hours.
Offering Christian Counseling
When we go through major life changes, many of us turn to our faith to help us. Facing a major loss, whether through betrayal, death, divorce or some other way, can cause us to ask the “bigger questions” of life. Quite often, our core values and beliefs are intertwined with our faith. For clients that desire it, we can explore how your faith plays a part in how you see your current situation, ways that your faith can help to heal and strengthen you, and how God can use your pain and circumstances to create a new, abundant, and joyful life.
As a Christian, I believe in the life transforming power of God. I received a master’s degree from the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Liberty University. This is a CACREP accredited program where I learned how to integrate clients’ faith into counseling in an ethical manner among a diverse population. If your faith is an important part of your life, together we can discuss how to best incorporate it into counseling to suit your personal needs.
Pscyhotherapy
Offering services in the state of Connecticut.
Phone: (860) 245-1377
Email: denise@birchtreecounseling.org
In-person or online, depending on your level of comfort. Therapy sessions are typically weekly or bi-weekly meetings.
Walk & Talk Therapy is also offered if clinically appropriate for your situation. A form of psychotherapy while walking outdoors, some clients feel more comfortable talking side-by-side while enjoying the experience of moving.
Payments accepted: American Express, Discover, Mastercard, Visa, Health Saving Account, Check
Insurance accepted: Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, ConnectiCare, Harvard Pilgrim, Health New England, Optum, Oxford, UHC United Healthcare, UBC United Behavioral Health
Cost per Session: $75-$150
Denise Hughes, MA, LPC, NCC, CGCS
Birch Tree Counseling, LLC
714 Hopmeadow Street, Suite 12
Simsbury, CT 06070
(860) 245-1377