Grief and Loss Counseling in Royal Oak, MI.

The most difficult part of life is experiencing the loss of a loved one. Nothing we experience is more painful than this. Despite this often incapacitating pain, with work and time, one can heal and overcome. When this occurs, one emerges from the pain as a new person, in ways that one could not formerly conceive. A large part of my work is guiding people through this process, as I am deeply familiar with it, both personally and professionally.

Everyone experiences loss (loss of loved ones, our own health/ability, our dreams, etc.) and we all need to grieve in our own unique way. The most frequent question people asked me when I was a hospice Bereavement Coordinator was, "Am I grieving normally?" Almost every time, the answer was a resounding "Yes!" While there are certain common experiences with grief, there are no hard and fast rules (or even steps, as some contend) and there are definitely no timetables.

Grief is a natural reaction to any form of loss, especially someone’s death. It goes beyond mere sadness and often evokes feelings of confusion, doubt, guilt, anger, and other complex emotions. ​ There’s no right way to grieve — everyone reacts to loss differently and grieves in their own way. There’s also no normal duration for grief; it may take months or years to accept the loss of a loved one. Nonetheless, most people can indeed recover from loss with the help of a great social support network and healthy coping mechanisms. Grief counseling provides the necessary support for those finding it hard to recover.

Grief and loss are experienced not only when losing a loved one but when a relationship ends, a sex life declines and a person experiences a coming out process. The grief and loss attached to endings of a way of life can be just as devastating if not moreso. In death, the end is final. In grief involving relationships things change and grief can be prolonged. Coming out as LGBT one experiences loss of heterosexual privilege which can be painful. Losing trust with a spouse after cheating and affairs is hard to recover from and grief gets in the way of recovery.

Are you using alcohol, substances, or addictive behaviors to cope with grief and loss? Although they provide relief in the short term, their long-term effects on your relationships and health can make it even more difficult to cope. Through a compassionate non-judgmental approach, I help clients explore their relationship to grief and loss so that they can overcome addictive coping strategies. If you're looking for another way forward, feel free to reach out and we can set up a free consultation to discuss further.