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Find the right provider for you, based on your specific needs and preferences, all online.
Discover how starting grief & loss counseling can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.
4 therapists available in Cary
I have been privileged to have walked with people in the most difficult times in their lives for the last 14 years....
About
I have been privileged to have walked with people in the most difficult times in their lives for the last 14 years.
Sarah Olson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 15 years of experience helping infants, toddlers, children, teens, and adults who are faced with anxiety, depression, anger, poor coping skills, and family conflict issues.
Sarah received her Master's degree in Social Work from Florida Atlantic University and is classically trained at the Master’s level in cognitive behavior therapy and solutions-focused therapy. She helps clients to explore behavior patterns that may have been caused by past events. Sarah believes that being honest about how you feel is the most effective way to move forward in getting to where you want to go in life.
Sarah likes to think that speaking with her is like speaking with a best friend that is able to really hear what you are experiencing. Expect every moment we are interacting to be all about you. Nothing is more important to her than making you feel truly heard.
If you are ready to explore what things need to change in your life to reach your picture of peace and happiness, Sarah is ready to speak with you. You deserve the life you want!
Education and training
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I pursued mental health initially to help myself with my own issues of anxiety, depression, and life transitions, and I understand...
I pursued mental health initially to help myself with my own issues of anxiety, depression, and life transitions, and I understand how challenging yet effective change can be.
I am a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 10 years of experience supporting individuals and families through a wide range of mental health challenges. I have worked with children, adolescents, and adults navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, anger management, autism, grief, stress, and life transitions. My approach is warm, collaborative, and focused on helping clients build resilience, improve relationships, and begin meaningful healing.
I earned my master’s in clinical mental health counseling from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. I draw from cognitive behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, person-centered techniques, expressive arts therapy, and motivational interviewing to tailor treatment to each client’s needs.
I hope that learning a bit about me helps you feel supported in taking the next step in your healing journey. My goal is to create a safe, grounded, and empowering environment where you feel seen, heard, and understood. I look forward to working together to help you move toward meaningful growth and well-being.
As a West African immigrant fluent in two cultures, with over 10 years of experience across medical, administrative, and behaviora...
As a West African immigrant fluent in two cultures, with over 10 years of experience across medical, administrative, and behavioral health roles, I bring a culturally informed and compassionate approach to care that supports and empowers diverse individuals navigating life’s challenges.
I am a licensed clinical social worker associate (LCSWA) with 10 years of experience in the mental health field. I work with adults and young adults navigating depression, anxiety, trauma, substance use concerns, mood disorders, and major life transitions. I have experience supporting individuals with complex mental health diagnoses and am committed to providing compassionate, person-centered care that meets clients where they are.
I earned my Master of Social Work from the University of Kentucky after completing my bachelor’s degree in psychology from Fayetteville State University. My clinical experience includes work in psychosocial rehabilitation and day treatment settings, where I utilized CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, psychodynamic, and person-centered approaches.
I believe meaningful change happens through collaboration, trust, and consistency. I strive to create a supportive and nonjudgmental space where you can explore challenges, build coping skills, and work toward improved mental health and overall well-being. I look forward to supporting you on your journey and invite you to schedule a session with me.
As a woman of color, I understand the importance of navigating life stressors and creating your own identity....
As a woman of color, I understand the importance of navigating life stressors and creating your own identity.
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My preferred approach to grief & loss counseling is dialectical behavioral therapy. DBT is a good fit for these issues as it builds on skills related to mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. In particular, skills related to radical acceptance can be vital to managing our grief in healthy ways.
I teach the following tools in grief & loss counseling:
The biggest turning points, in my opinion, related to grief and loss counseling are when clients experience catharsis and, sometime after that, when they begin to re-engage with their lives in growth-oriented ways. Catharsis comes with any big or deep expression of emotion, most typically being anger and/or sadness when working with grief. I typically describe the experience of grief like an amputation. Just as people who undergo amputations experience phantom pain in those lost limbs, we also experience pain when connecting to the thoughts or memories of those we can no longer reach. We have to learn to live life without them, sometimes for the first time in our lives.
In your time outside of counseling sessions, you can further your progress by choosing kindness. Allow your feelings and practice responding to them in supportive ways. At first, it may seem unfair that the world has kept spinning after a major loss, but you may find that this also provides a respite in the sense that the general public doesn't know what you're going through and won't treat you differently. As a result, this can be a comfort for those of you who want to exist in a world briefly that isn't dominated by grief. Please note that depending on your form of grief, you may also be more likely to encounter triggers in public, so proceed mindful of this.
To prepare for your first grief and loss counseling session, know that catharsis is healthy, and if you're worried about being emotional during your session, you needn't worry. Besides, having an abundance of tissues in the office, I want to emphasize to you that no one does this alone and no one expects you to do so. You and your grief are welcome.
Grief and loss counseling helps people grieve difficult losses including the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship. It helps people navigate their grief process and eventually accept, understand, and move forward from their loss. Thriveworks grief therapists in Cary, NC have specific experience, training, and skills that enable them to best support grieving individuals.
Grief and loss counseling isn’t one-size-fits-all, but it involves sharing about your loss and then working with your counselor to acknowledge and accept your new reality in its wake. Your provider at Thriveworks in Cary, NC will design your treatment plan around your unique needs and goals for therapy, applying the counseling techniques that best support them.
If you have recently experienced an event like the death of a loved one, a breakup or divorce, the loss of a job, or another major life change, then you may want to seek grief and loss counseling. Grief can be caused by many experiences and events, so if you feel that you are having trouble moving on from a certain event or find that it is still impacting your life and functioning, grief and loss counseling can help you process it more effectively so that you can move on and once again find fulfillment and satisfaction in your life.
There are many counseling theories for treating grief, one of the most frequently used being the dual process model of grief which helps people acknowledge who or what they’ve lost through rumination while also adjusting to the new roles and identities that this loss has now placed on them. There are also many commonly used therapy approaches used in grief and loss counseling, including Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and traumatic grief therapy.
Grief & loss counseling at Thriveworks is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
For many, grief and loss counseling lasts for about 6 months. For others, it may last shorter or longer, depending on the severity of their loss and their grief.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
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