It’s not every day that chocolate popping candy and grief counseling go together, but in this Potomac therapist’s office, that’s part of healing for one patient.

Michelle Bronzo, a grief counselor with more than 15 years of experience, often prepares a cup of coffee or another drink and a sweet treat for her clients.

“I think it’s these little things that show a basic connectedness between human beings,” said Bronzo, who runs Michelle Bronzo Counseling LLC.

She added that some therapeutic approaches can feel impersonal, such as refraining from touching a client or disclosing anything about oneself to the client.

“For me, if I’m sitting with someone, I want us to be two human beings that are sitting together,” Bronzo said. “I think it’s such a basic thing to share a drink together … It feels lovely to connect in that way.”

Grief can make people’s lives feel flat or disconnected from pleasure, so a small treat can act to “reawaken” that sense, Bronzo said.

She tries to make therapy sessions meaningful for individuals. Remembering that one client enjoyed the Israeli Elite Popping Candies Milk Chocolate with his late wife, Bronzo brought a square of that very chocolate for him and glasses of sparking lemonade as he marked his 50th wedding anniversary.

“He had said that an important quality of hers was that she sparkled, that was something he felt he held dear about their relationship,” Bronzo said.

Bronzo’s two children love the “sparkling chocolate from Israel,” and she had some left over from her husband’s last work trip there.

“I thought, I’m going to bring that because I feel like this encapsulates who she is as a person and it’s a tribute to her in this moment to have this sparkling chocolate together,” Bronzo explained. “I posed it as, ‘We’re celebrating this milestone moment of yours, and we’re bringing in her sweetness and her sparkling way in this one bite.’ I think there’s something special about being able to share a moment in person with a client.”

In her private practice, Bronzo sees clients who are both Jewish and non-Jewish. Trained in prolonged grief disorder treatment, she views this work as necessary especially given the stigma around loss.

“I think it’s really meaningful to get to walk alongside people at this time,” Bronzo said. “People don’t tend to like to talk about death and dying, so I like to be a place where people feel comfortable coming.”

Her work also extends beyond her office. 

“Because people know I do this work, I tend to be a resource for people in the community when either they’ve had someone in their life die or they’re dealing with anticipatory grief issues,” Bronzo said. “Whether it be at the preschool or my daughter’s elementary school, or just in general in the community, I feel like people come to me for support and guidance around that. … They know they don’t have to worry about upsetting me because this is what I do for my work.”

Helping people navigate grief and loss is deeply personal for Bronzo, who lost her brother to suicide when she was 14 and her father to cancer when she was 18.

“A big part of what I help people do is establish continuing bonds — it’s the relationship they continue to have with somebody after they’ve died, and I see my work as an extension of that for myself,” she said. “It’s part of my continuing bond with my dad and brother to be able to do this work on their behalf.”

Bronzo’s Jewish identity is an important factor for some clients who come to her as someone who “gets it.”

“For some people, they like knowing that they won’t have to explain themselves when they talk about certain things, like shiva or yahrzeit,” she said.

The grief counselor helps some Jewish clients reconnect with their Judaism. She spoke to the spiritual questioning that someone can feel after the loss of a loved one.

“It’s common for people after they’ve experienced significant trauma or loss to pull away from their faith just because they’re so confused, they’re trying to figure out, ‘How could this happen to me?’” Bronzo said.

She works to find a place for this loss in people’s lives, often broaching the subject of faith and talking through the many questions that accompany loss. Recognizing that she’s not a spiritual leader, Bronzo also refers Jewish clients to clergy members for additional guidance.

“Sometimes it’s finding a way back to [the faith community] first while you’re trying to figure out your relationship with Judaism and God,” she added.

Bronzo is a member of Montgomery Hospice’s Threshold Choir, a group that sings at the bedside of hospice patients. Their repertoire, which covers a wide range of songs, includes some Jewish classics such as “Hashivenu,” “Hine Ma Tov,” and “Oseh Shalom.”

“A lot of these songs I never knew growing up, but I’ve learned them through my kids’ preschool and Threshold Choir,” said Bronzo, a preschool parent and member of Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County. “It’s been special to integrate two things that I love so much: singing and end-of-life work.”

Bronzo grew up “culturally Jewish but very secular” in Westchester, New York, celebrating both Chanukah and Christmas. She’s now active with Beth El — it’s her fifth year serving on the parent board of the preschool. Bronzo leads the Bethesda synagogue’s holiday committee and annual Chanukah Hop, as well.

“Something I’ve been proud of since taking on this role is growing our young family Friday night Shabbats,” Bronzo said. “When I first started this, attendance was really poor. People didn’t know that that was an option. People weren’t super interested in coming, and we grew this program into a wonderful community.”

She achieved that through personalized invitations to fellow young parents rather than sending text or email blasts to everyone.

“I’d send direct text messages to all the people in my kids’ classes to say, ‘We’re going to Shabbat. We’d really love to see you there,’” Bronzo said. “[We] had consistency in the regularity of events and made it fun and engaging for both the kids and adults because we wanted families to look forward to celebrating Shabbat together, no matter their level of observance.”

Bronzo described herself as someone who “always likes to get involved.”

“I always sign up for stuff,” she said. “I like to be an organizer. I like to bring people together. I like making connection[s], so that felt like a natural fit to me.”

zbell@midatlanticmedia.com