Hidden Gems: Meet Margaret Pendergrass of Roswell Grief Counseling

Today we’d like to introduce you to Margaret Pendergrass, LCSW, GC-C.

Hi Margaret, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started as a medical social worker and for many years I worked in different hospitals and medical settings. I helped patients and families find resources and navigate new diagnoses. 

Doctors can be uncomfortable with the emotional side of medicine, and this is where social workers come in. The types of patients that I worked the most with throughout my 10 years in that career (cancer patients and dementia patients) are specialties that I still work with today. 

As much as I loved my work, hospital work is always cut short when patients return home. I knew that I wanted to continue to help patients and their families cope with their diagnoses, manage caregiver fatigue, and eventually process the grief that comes at the end of life. 

So, I knew that I needed to transition into therapy so that I could continue to work with this population. I recently opened my private practice in Roswell, GA that specializes in grief for all kinds of losses, chronic illnesses, and caregiver support. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One challenge that I never expected was that I would end up facing these same issues myself in my personal life. 

Now my work as a therapist is also informed by my own experiences with losing a close family member and serving as a caregiver to a loved one with chronic illness. While this has been an extraordinary challenge for me, it has also forced me to practice what I tell my clients and given me additional insights into their experiences. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Roswell Grief Counseling is a private practice specializing in grief counseling and therapy for chronic illness and caregivers. We are based in Roswell, GA, and offer therapy online throughout the state of GA. I (Margaret Pendergrass) am the only therapist, so all clients get to meet with me. 

Several things set Roswell Grief Counseling apart from other local therapist offices. First of all, many clients are relieved to know that I speak to these issues not only as a therapist but also from my own lived personal experiences with loss, grief, chronic illness, and caregiving. All of these issues can be very isolating, and it can help just to know that somebody understands! 

After over a decade of work in the medical field, I am also an expert on local resources to support clients and their families and navigate insurance coverage. Sometimes there are logistical challenges on top of the mental ones that need to be managed. 

In addition, I need to educate others about grief because there are so many misconceptions about it. I have been quoted as an expert in several online publications including Healthline, Yahoo, Verywell Mind, and Everyday Health. 

This year, I was also offered a position as an adjunct professor at the Tulane University School of Social Work, and I am excited to help train the next generation of social workers. 

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson that I have learned and that fundamentally impacts my practice is that there are so many other types of grief outside of losing a person. When we think of grief, we think of the death of a loved one, but grief also comes from losing a pet, the end of a marriage or relationship, loss of ability or health due to chronic illness, loss of a job, loss of identity, and many more. 

Nobody talks about these other losses, so it’s something that we have to mourn alone. Our brains process these types of “ambiguous” losses the same as a loss from death, including all of the same emotions such as sadness and anger. The biggest difference is we experience these challenging emotions alone and can even blame ourselves or feel guilty for these feelings. 

At Roswell Grief Counseling, I make sure that clients can process and accept all of life’s losses, especially the ones that they feel like they can’t talk about anywhere else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://roswellgriefcounseling.com

Image Credits
Reese Cann Photography