Finding Peace With Estranged Moms on Mother’s Day: Childhood Trauma Therapy in Falls Church, VA for Emotional Closure
It is almost Mother’s Day. The advertisements, social expectations, and greater pressures are flooding your system. It brings a wave of sadness. Unlike the picture-perfect mother-daughter pairs you see shrouded in springtime ads, you and your mom do not speak anymore. You went against the norms and language of “but she is your only mother” because she never made you feel safe. Your childhood was not filled with happy mother-daughter days, but instead, with confusion, threat, fear, disappointment, or even with you becoming the mom to your mom.
No matter how hard you tried to be the “perfect daughter,” it did not work. You are happier and working through things more without her in your life. But, it is hard to put the covert and overt shame away that comes towards you, especially around Mother’s Day. This is a time when your grief hits the hardest. So, let’s make some space for it in childhood trauma therapy for mother wounds in Falls Church, VA.
What is a Mother Wound?
A mother wound is a lack of mothering. It occurs when you are raised by or are disconnected from an emotionally immature or absent mother. This may be a mom who was neglectful, highly critical, controlling, entitled, self-absorbed, passive, and/or emotionally, physically, and/or sexually abusive.
These wounds typically begin in early childhood, during the early developmental years before you learn to speak, and are also marked by a lack of certain qualities in your relationship, including delight, curiosity, nurture, guidance, and structure/protection. Working with a childhood trauma therapist can help you begin to understand these early wounds and start the healing process.
Why Does Mother’s Day Come with Complex Grief?
When mother wounds are beyond repair, this can lead to estrangement. You may be someone who has tried time and time again to find a way to work through things with your mom, but she may not be capable or available to meet you halfway there. Or, the way she treats you may even get in the way of your own healing.
Estrangement is complex and painful—you are grieving the relationship and a person who is still living. This grief shows up, not only when reminiscing about the difficult past, but also when encountering moments where the aforementioned needs arise. For example, during times when you wish for guidance about the next step, or nurture from a caregiver after a sad day, this grief may be present because your mother has not been able to show up and offer these needs in these moments.
Rituals For Self-Care as a Mother Wounded Daughter
Leading into and on Mother’s Day, it can be helpful to have some guidelines and plans in place to tend to your grief, to be present with it, and to give it the space and permission it needs to be present. Below are some suggestions:
Create an Inner Child Encouragement Jar: Get a jar (or any container) and place a childhood photo of yourself inside. During the week leading up to Mother’s Day, write encouraging messages that you imagine a nurturing mother would say. On the day of Mother’s Day, read these messages and notice how you feel and how your grief wants to be present.
Give Yourself Time to Be with Your Grief: On Mother’s Day, plan some time to honor your grief. This may be helpful to do on your own, or with others who are empathetic and understanding of your grief and can honor your needs with compassion.
Don’t Forget to Meet Your Needs and Let Yourself Play: Meeting your unmet needs is a key element of growing through grief. Think about the needs above (nurture, protection, delight, guidance) and see how you want to tend to those needs. Nurture can include soothing self-care or enjoying your favorite food, protection can include setting boundaries or asserting your needs, guidance can include learning a new hobby or skill with patience, and delight can include enjoying a new, fun task or hobby!
Trauma Therapy is Always an Option to Help You Heal
Processing mother wound childhood trauma is always intertwined with grief because you are grieving a mother you did not have, and therefore the mother-daughter relationship you hoped for and did not have. Together, in trauma therapy at Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, we take time to build trust and safety in a trauma-informed therapeutic relationship. We build compassion and lower the judgment, building safety and ease along the way.
Blending in Ego States Therapy, we work to create a loving team of resources in your internal world. These resources essentially act as your team of personal heroes that can step in when we encounter younger, hurt parts of you. This team may be informed by experiences you have had that have been particularly warm, loving, and encouraging. They help build a network and model for you that forms the basis of reparenting yourself.
When working with a trauma therapist to heal mother wound grief and the aspects of your grief that continue to hurt and trigger you, we bring in these resources to help meet your unmet needs, thereby helping you feel more resourced and connected.
Find Support with Childhood Trauma Therapy for Mother Wounds in Falls Church, VA
At Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, we offer trauma-informed, compassionate support grounded in a deep understanding of early emotional wounds. Our focus is on helping you cultivate inner safety, build resilience, and reconnect with your authentic self beyond long-standing survival patterns.
Getting started is simple:
Complete a brief intake form before your first session
Begin therapy with trauma therapist Alice Zic to explore your history and develop a personalized treatment plan
Take the first step toward childhood trauma therapy in Falls Church, VA, and begin your healing journey.
In-Person Childhood Trauma Therapy in New Orleans, LA
At Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, we provide in-person therapy sessions in New Orleans on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We work with individuals across the Greater New Orleans area who are navigating childhood trauma, growing up with emotionally unavailable or emotionally immature caregivers, and anxiety connected to early attachment experiences.
Our Mid-City office is intentionally created to feel calm, safe, and grounding, offering a supportive space where you can begin making sense of your experiences, build self-awareness, and move toward deeper emotional healing.
Online Childhood Trauma Therapy for Clients Across Virginia
For individuals throughout Virginia, online therapy offers a flexible and accessible way to begin working through childhood trauma. As a licensed therapist in Virginia, I provide secure telehealth sessions statewide, making it possible to receive steady support from the comfort of your own environment.
All that’s needed is a private space, a reliable internet connection, and a device, no travel required. You can start your healing journey by scheduling a free consultation.
Comprehensive Therapy Services Across CT, VA, and LA
At Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, we offer a range of services beyond childhood trauma therapy, including virtual support for clients in Connecticut, Virginia, and Louisiana. We also provide mother-daughter therapy, available both online and in-person in New Orleans.
Our work supports individuals and families navigating mother wounds, emotional neglect, parentification, immigrant family stress, and teen anxiety. Across all services, our approach remains compassionate, emotionally attuned, and centered on each client’s lived experience in Connecticut, Virginia, and Louisiana.
Meet Alice Zic, LCSW: Trauma Therapist for Mother Wounded Daughters
Alice Zic is a licensed clinical social worker based in New Orleans, offering in-person therapy locally and virtual sessions for clients across Louisiana, Connecticut, and Virginia.
She specializes in supporting women impacted by perfectionism and mother wounds, helping them heal from childhood trauma and build a more grounded, self-trusting sense of self. Her work integrates Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Ego States Therapy, trauma-informed approaches that support awareness of and healing from younger and protective inner parts.
She also offers mother-daughter therapy grounded in attachment-based work, focused on improving communication, rebuilding trust, and healing early relational patterns.