Grief counselors and therapists in West Hartford, CT

I believe that most people already have a deep understanding of themselves and what they need, it can just be difficult to access that understanding when we’re overwhelmed, stuck, or caught in patterns that no longer serve us.

As a systems therapist, I look beyond the individual to understand the relationships, experiences, and environments that shape how we think, feel, and respond. I’m particularly interested in helping people understand interpersonal conflict and the patterns that develop between us, whether with a partner, family member, friend, or colleague.

Finding a therapist who genuinely understands your background, not just your diagnosis, can make the difference between therapy that feels like going through the motions and therapy that actually moves you.

I'm a bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), and Certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (C-DBT), fluent in English and Hebrew. I'm also a Doctoral Candidate pursuing my DSW. I work with adolescents and adults navigating trauma and PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship challenges, identity, emotional regulation, and major life transitions.

Before private practice, much of my clinical work took place in crisis response, hospital-based care, community mental health, and other high-stress environments. That experience taught me how to sit with difficult things without becoming intimidated by them, while also recognizing that people are far more than the hardest things that have happened to them.

As a therapist, I'm warm, direct, collaborative, and genuinely curious about the person sitting across from me. I don't believe therapy should feel clinical for the sake of sounding clinical, and I don't believe my role is to simply tell you what you should do. I want to understand how you got here: the experiences that shaped you, the patterns you've developed, what those patterns may have helped you survive or manage, and whether they're still serving you now. From there, we can figure out together what you want to keep, what you want to change, and what moving forward can actually look like for you.

I get it. You’re tired of feeling stuck, exhausted, and like nothing’s really changing. You’ve been carrying a lot, and it’s starting to feel heavy. As a psychotherapist in practice for over 10 years, I’m passionate about walking alongside adults on their healing journey, especially those navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, and major life transitions. Whether you're a professional burning out, a veteran facing emotional pain, or a student trying to find your footing, I offer support rooted in compassion and real tools like EMDR and CBT. More importantly, I create a space where you can show up just as you are and feel truly seen, safe, and supported.

For more than twenty years, I have had the privilege of walking alongside adolescents, adults, and couples during some of the most difficult and meaningful seasons of their lives. I believe that sometimes it can be difficult to see beyond the darkness in front of us. My role is to listen without judgement while helping you find your way toward the light again.

I understand how exhausting it can feel to be caught in the same patterns or unsure how to help someone you care about. I offer a calm, approachable, and nonjudgmental space where you can feel heard and supported. We will work together at a pace that feels right for you. Reach out when you are ready to begin.

As a clinician, I enjoy working with everyone in all phases of life helping in building self-esteem, managing addiction, trauma, self-discovery, medication management, anger management, re-establishing one's dreams/purpose, building/strengthening relationships one has with self, partners or family systems.

I have worked with foster children, young adults, primary care staff and patients, those who struggled with substance abuse in a methadone clinic, provided supervision to non-licensed social workers in the hospital.

I welcome the opportunity to meet with you for a consultation to see if working together would be a great match like a grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwich.

Best of luck on your journey to health and wellness.

Are you wanting a greater senses of inner calm, purpose, and connection? Good, because you deserve it! It’s easy to feel overwhelmed right now. Sorting through the noise, healing trauma and past hurts, honoring your emotions while achieving a sense of clarity, focus, and wellness-is possible. Together we will help you find your answers and solutions. Bringing 20+ years of experience and expertise , utilizing an individualized approach to help you claim your confidence, calm, and power. I also offer an intensive model for those who desire (and are ready ) for more expedient results in the lives and relationships. Trauma, loss, anxiety, and sudden changes in life, while painful , are not who you are, and they do not have to be a forever life script of limitations, pain, and self-doubt. They may be what drives you heal, shed what no longer serves you. and free yourself to claim the life and relationships you deserve.

I'm Magdalena, and I've been doing this work for 14 years — across schools, community

mental health, and private practice. What that span of experience gave me is range: I've

worked with people in serious crisis and people who are simply stuck, and I've learned

that the gap between those two things is smaller than most people think. I trained at

UNC Wilmington and have spent my career working with adults across the full

complexity of what life throws at people — anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, parenting,

major life transitions, and identity. I offer therapy in both English and Polish, and I'm

LGBTQ+-affirming. I accept insurance and offer a sliding scale. My goal isn't to be your

therapist forever — it's to give you what you need so you can get on with your life.

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s degree in Social Work from Fordham University. My background includes both hospital social work and correctional mental health.

I’ve spent much of my career helping people and families navigate some of life’s most difficult moments—from medical crises and unexpected trauma to serious illness, end-of-life decisions, and mental health challenges. In hospital settings, including the Emergency Department and ICU, I often helped families navigate overwhelming situations, connect with resources, and advocate for themselves and their loved ones.

Working in a COVID ICU especially shaped how I understand stress, trauma, family systems, and empathy. It taught me that when one person is struggling, the entire family can be affected.

I later brought that experience into correctional mental health, where I provide counseling, crisis intervention, assessment, and support.

I work primarily with adults experiencing anxiety, trauma/PTSD, depression, grief, life transitions, and family stress.I bring both professional experience and a very human perspective to therapy, with the goal of creating a space where you can feel understood, supported, and comfortable being yourself.