Katherine Bell
Welcome to Anchor and Arbor Therapy PLLC, a practice dedicated to being your anchor amidst waves of medical trauma and an arbor of support through profound loss. Navigating a new chronic illness diagnosis, coping with oncology treatments, or reeling from the devastating loss of a loved one can feel completely overwhelming. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Virginia with specialized expertise in grief counseling, end-of-life care, and chronic illness management (including oncology support). I provide an active, compassionate space to help you process the intense emotional toll of medical trauma and profound loss. You don't have to walk through this heavy season alone.
Wherever you are in your journey: newly diagnosed, living with a diagnosis, reeling from a loss or death of a loved one, I am here to walk alongside you and provide the support, guidance, and release you might need.
I am highly experienced in helping Virginia adults navigate: • Oncology & Chronic Illness Support: Managing the anxiety, medical trauma, and identity shifts that come with living with a diagnosis or undergoing complex treatments. • Grief, Bereavement & Loss: Processing acute grief, prolonged grief, and the intense waves of emotion following the death of a loved one. • Caregiver Burnout & Anticipatory Grief: Supporting family members carrying the heavy emotional and physical load of caring for a sick loved one.
First session
A first session with me will consist of some initial information gathering about what's led you to seek support. We will also take some time to get to know each other and what approach will work best for you. I like to leave space to allow you to share as much as you'd like about your story or if applicable the loved one you've lost. Towards the end of the session, we will set goals together to determine what you need most and how to get there.
Strengths
My therapeutic approach is deeply integrative and tailored to your specific pace. I actively utilize evidence-based tools including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for chronic pain/illness, and Narrative Therapy to help you re-author your life after a major medical change or bereavement. My approach to therapy is an amalgamation of many different approaches expanding on established treatment modalities to include additional models of grief and loss. I do this because grief has so many different layers and ways it impacts us, a multifaceted approach is needed. As we work together in our sessions, I will draw from these different therapeutic approaches and theories of grief to guide our time together. I also place a lot of importance on Memory Work and Meaning Making
Ideal clients
If you have experienced one or more of the following: - the death of a loved one - a loss of another kind - a life limiting diagnosis including cancer - a chronic illness including cancer survivorship needs I can provide the support you need to process your feelings and experiences related to the above needs. All of these big transitions come with some heavy, complicated emotions and can often leave you feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to go from here. If you would like to start your journey navigating these together, book an appointment today.
Origin story
I am a social worker and spent years helping with the practical side of chronic illness, aging, and end of life. I pursued my LCSW to seek to provide therapy to address the enormous emotional need I saw in my work that comes along with chronic illness, cancer, end of life, and grief/loss.
Ongoing work together
Ongoing work will include elements of the following: - Meaning Making - Integration of the loss/transition/illness - Working toward acceptance of the loss/transition/illness How will you know you're making progress? My goal is to help you feel lighter, whole, and okay with who you are and what you've been through.
Treatment methods
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
ACT focuses on accepting difficult thoughts and feelings rather than avoiding them. Grief, loss, and chronic illness come with a whole host of difficult thoughts and feelings. This approach informs my practice as I help you navigate the sticky, often overwhelming feelings you may be experiencing.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
The main concept of CBT is a cycle in which thoughts impact feelings which impact behavior which in turn impacts thoughts again. Together we may examine the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors you have as a result of your grief or chronic illness to find a path forward.
Narrative
Each of us has an internal narrative that influences how we interact with the world. Our stories are unique to each of us and I believe are what make us intrinsically human. Grief, loss, and life transition significantly impact the narrative we tell ourselves, my goal is to help you find a narrative that promotes healing and wholeness, even if there are some darker chapters in the middle.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
This approach is core to the social work profession. As a Clinical Social Worker, my goal is to empower you to reach your therapy goals and to foster your personal growth within a safe, empathetic environment.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Other specialties
Doesn't specialize in
Licensed in
- VirginiaLicense 0904020799