Francesca has helped me find peace in the never-ending-journey of laying my sister to rest, always finding ways to keep her with me through the important moments and sometimes the random ones, too.

I reached out to Francesca for the first time in the fall of 2021. My sister had passed away from cancer a number of years before, and the medical mind-set of the pandemic had cracked open past trauma I had been avoiding, manifesting in anxiety attacks that left my husband concerned for my mental well-being. After the first few minutes on the phone with Francesca, already comfortable enough in her presence to be in tears, she said to me: “an anxiety disorder and grief are not the same thing. I hear someone who is grieving.” I instantly felt seen and understood and cared for — and it has been that way ever since. I had seen therapists before, and they were always a safe space to vent, but what’s so special to me about Francesca is her ability to challenge my way of being and reframe my thinking—we are always in a dialogue, it never feels one-sided. In the three years I have been working with Francesca, I have gained confidence, independence, and compassion for myself and others. My career, my marriage, and my friendships have all flourished because of that. My anxiety has decreased significantly and I’ve been given the tools to manage it on my own when triggers inevitably arise.