About
You deserve a therapist who won't flinch.
Grief and trauma are not things to be managed or minimized. They are experiences that ask something real of us — and of the people who sit with us through them.
Doree Kovis-Tonks, LCSW
—California Licensed Clinical Social Worker #95830
—Idaho Licensed Clinical Social Worker #35158
—Washington Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker # 61231529
—Oregon License coming soon.
"I became a therapist focused on grief because I know what it's like to carry loss that the world doesn't have language for. Not every grief comes with a casserole and a sympathy card. Some losses are invisible, complicated, or simply too heavy to explain to the people around you."
I've spent over 16 years working with adults navigating some of the hardest chapters of their lives — sudden loss, prolonged grief, childhood trauma, relationship endings, and the kind of quiet devastation that doesn't have a name. My approach is direct and honest. I won't tell you that everything happens for a reason, or that time heals all wounds. What I will do is show up fully, ask the hard questions, and stay with you in the places that feel unbearable.
I hold a Masters in Social Work from Colorado State University and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California, Idaho and Washington. I am trained in somatic experiencing, cognitive behavioral therapy, internal family systems and have engaged in extensive grief and loss trainings — approaches that work with the whole person, not just the story they can put into words.
My philosophy
Grief is not a disorder. It's a testament to love.
Our culture is deeply uncomfortable with grief. We give people a few days off work, offer platitudes about closure, and expect them to return to normal within weeks of a devastating loss. This is not healing — it's suppression.
My work is built on the belief that grief deserves time, space, and witness. That trauma is not a character flaw but a wound that needs tending. And that the path through pain is not around it — it's through it, with the right support.
I work with adults who are done pretending they're fine. Who are ready to stop white-knuckling through their days and start actually processing what happened to them. That takes courage. I don't take it lightly.
Ready to talk?
A free 15-minute consultation is a no-pressure way to see if we're a good fit. No commitment, no intake paperwork — just a conversation.