Jewell Justiniani Allen - Porta Verum Psychotherapy Services

Losing a pregnancy, struggling to conceive, facing a hard diagnosis, or grieving someone you love can leave you feeling isolated in a way that's hard to put into words — like the world expects you to move on before you're ready.

If you're carrying that kind of pain, you don't have to carry it alone. I help people navigating grief, cancer, perinatal loss, infertility, and postpartum depression find real emotional support and space to heal.

I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience, much of it spent alongside families through pregnancy, postpartum, the NICU, and profound loss.

I bring a warm, nurturing presence to this work, because I believe the heart of good therapy is the relationship between us — one built on trust, mutual respect, and genuine acceptance of you, exactly as you are.

As a second-generation Filipina-American, I offer culturally responsive care that honors your background and the many perspectives you bring.

Whether you're grieving, healing after a loss, adjusting to a new diagnosis, or moving through a hard transition, my goal is to create a safe space where your pain can be witnessed, your resilience can grow, and you can begin to feel like yourself again.

I believe the quality of the relationship between client and therapist is the single most important part of effective therapy, so I start there — creating a space where you feel genuinely safe, respected, and understood.

My care is trauma-informed and culturally responsive, and I meet you exactly where you are rather than following a fixed agenda.

From there, I draw on whatever will actually help. I use CBT when painful thoughts start running on a loop — the "I should be over this by now" kind — to help you catch them and loosen their grip.

I use psychodynamic work when something older is tangled up in what you're feeling now.

Grief and bereavement therapy makes room for loss that doesn't follow anyone's schedule.

When you need something concrete to hold onto this week, we work solution-focused.

And underneath all of it, I work from a strength-based lens — you've carried yourself this far, and I want us to build on what's already keeping you standing.

Grief and loss don't move in a straight line, so our work honors your pace: making room to process pain, find meaning, and slowly reclaim your sense of self and steadiness.

The first session is simply a gentle place to begin — no pressure to share more than you're ready to.

Mostly, I want to understand what brought you in, what you've been carrying, and what support would feel most meaningful to you right now.

Grief and loss can feel overwhelming, and my hope is that even in that first conversation, you feel heard and a little less alone.

From there, we'll move at a pace that honors where you are, and begin shaping the support that's right for you.