Grief counselors and therapists in Ellicott City, MD

As a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, I provide personalized assessments, therapy, and medication management designed for you and your loved ones. Whether you’re facing depression, substance use, or personality challenges, I work with you to create a plan that helps you feel stable, supported, and able to live at your best.

I’m a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Emory University. I bring over 8 years of clinical experience, including 4 years in medical nursing and 4 years in mental health care across inpatient, emergency, and outpatient settings.I also served as a nurse in the U.S. military, where I cared for active-duty service members, veterans, and their families. This experience shaped a steady, grounded approach to care, especially in moments of stress, transition, or uncertainty.

Kim Prager, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker/Therapist, studied and trained at University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has 16 years of experience providing therapy to people from all walks of life, Most recently, she worked at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's integrated executive medicine and oncology clinics.

She believes therapy is a place to be seen and heard and an opportunity for personal growth. Her approach is holistic and trauma informed, often with a focus on adjustment, interpersonal dynamics, grief, and loss.

She welcomes you to reach out to find a way to live more authentically, forge genuine connections, and prioritize value based goals that bring about positive change in your life.

Humans heal through relationships. Our wounds form in connection, and it's in connection that they're repaired. This is especially true for couples: the patterns that cause pain are often the same patterns that, with the right support, can become a source of deep healing and renewed closeness. Working together means creating a safe space to slow down, understand each other's underlying needs, feeling and sensitivities, and rebuild trust and connection from the ground up.

This process can be challenging and may surprise you, but it often leads to real growth, deeper intimacy, and lasting change that is ultimately liberating.

As a licensed clinical social worker with a master’s degree from The National Catholic School of Social Services, I bring extensive experience from my work in university-based teaching hospitals and ambulatory care clinics. My practice focuses on supporting adults and their caregivers through challenges such as anxiety, depression, complex medical conditions (acute and chronic), medical trauma, loss, grief, and significant life transitions.

I have a specialization in guiding individuals and their caregivers through the cancer journey, encompassing every phase—from diagnosis and treatment to recovery, survivorship, and end-of-life care. I have also worked extensively with patients undergoing stem cell transplants, CAR-T and immunotherapy.

My training and experience also includes helping individuals manage disorders of the brain-gut interaction. Support, education and strategies address the connection between the mind and gastrointestinal health. Recognizing that everyday stressors can greatly affect your well-being, I adapt my clinical approach to suit a variety of life situations, always tailoring care to meet your unique needs.

I’m Ine Saka, PMHNP-BC, FNP, and founder of Empathy Wellness Center, currently serving Maryland and Virginia. As a board-certified psychiatric and family nurse practitioner, I provide compassionate, holistic, evidence-based care for children, adolescents, and adults. I specialize in ADHD, mood disorders, anxiety, and trauma, integrating traditional psychiatry with wellness-focused approaches to support mind, body, and spirit.

Introduction

I have a passion for helping individuals and couples navigate their mental health journeys. I offer virtual therapy sessions, making it convenient for you to receive support from the comfort of your own space. Fluent in both English and Swahili.

I believe therapy begins with feeling safe enough to be honest and being heard without judgment. I want my clients to know that you don't have to have all the answers before coming to therapy. Sometimes taking the first step is the hardest part.

I earned my Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Maryland and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C) licensed in Virginia and Maryland. I have worked in behavioral health for many years, with a particular focus on substance use, co-occurring mental health concerns, and trauma. My experience includes working with adults from diverse backgrounds and supporting individuals through residential, intensive outpatient, and outpatient levels of care.

I genuinely enjoy helping people recognize strengths they may have forgotten they have. I believe that your diagnosis, substance use, trauma, or past experiences are only part of your story—they do not define who you are. I will meet you where you are and work with you to identify where you want to go next.