Grief and Loss Counselling in St Marys, ON.

Grief and Loss counselling is helpful to break out of isolation and resume contact with oneself and the world around you. Understanding the grief process makes it more manageable and less overwhelming. Counselling helps you to make sense of what is happening in your life and can be a ray of hope while in a dark and lonely place. You cannot "fast-forward" the grief process...however, you can find constructive ways to move through it instead of getting stuck in it!

The trauma of loosing a someone special in your life can bring up mixed emotions. Grief is never predictable and can leave you feeling crazy and overwhelmed. Grief is a unique experience that often leaves you feeling alone and isolated. The emotions come in waves of intensity which can be unpredictable. I offer a safe place to debrief about your feelings without being judged or dismissed.

The connections we make with people, animals or things are rarely simple or one-dimensional. So when these connections are lost or changed, they can have a significant impact on our lives. Each individual and connection is unique, so our work together will explore and process the myriad of conflicting or uncomfortable thoughts, feelings and sensation you may be experiencing. Adapting to new roles, developing new ways of connecting with family and friends and managing changes will be the additional ways we can honour the past relationship and navigate a new path.

I believe that while death and other losses are a natural part of life, sometimes it can trigger a complex response or maybe it just feels too big to handle on your own. A therapist can help you make sense of what has happened and understand your emotional responses to the loss. I will help you care for yourself and your loved ones through the process and help you access your support system.

Grieving the loss of a loved one or something precious to you can be very difficult. Each person’s experience of grief is unique to them, and everyone grieves in their own way and in their own time. In therapy with me, you will be able to explore your experience of grief in a safe space, consider the different emotions and impacts the loss might be having on your life, and develop a new relationship or story about the loss you experienced. Schedule a free consultation with me to see if we are a good fit.

You are grieving and you want me to help you feel better. Unfortunately, if you've lost a loved one or had other losses in your life, I can't change what's happened to you. Instead, I can teach you how to embrace your grief, to stay with your difficult feelings. By doing so, you open the door to self-change and the chance to discover meaning in your life.

There is intangible and tangible loss both of which are important to acknowledge and allow the individual to grieve in their manner. Having patience and understanding of where the individual is at with their grief is important to help them cope and build strategies to move on with their life. It is important to understand the stages of grief and loss and to acknowledge the stages don't always happen in order, in a timely way, or that all stages are even reached. Grieving for each indivudal is different, it is important for a therapist to recognize and validate for the indivudal seeking counseling that what they are feeling is normal.

Any life will, at times, include pain. So it is understandable that at some time any of us will have to struggle to deal with loss. You can find a strength within you to pull you through this. As your therapist my commitment is to honor that wisdom and help you find even more. Yes, loneliness and isolation can come as we go through life. My experience has been that as any of us are heard in depth, we can listen beyond the pain for the inspiration we seek to move on. In contrast to how it may seem, we can actually grow through grief and loss. Similar to exercise, one’s personal balance and overall perspective on life is like a muscle - one that we can train to help us more as we progress.

I have spent much of my career helping individuals and families navigate through the experiences of grief, loss, and end-of-life. The journey through grief is a complex experience that is simultaneously universal and also unique to each of us. We all face loss at different points throughout our lives. Healing starts when we're able to acknowledge our sorrow and move through it with the consoling guidance and support of community. Particularly when loss is complicated, traumatic, or unexpected, it is important to reach out to someone who can validate our experiences. I support clients with developing the necessary understanding and insights that can help us to move forward after loss.

Many people who have experienced a loss describe this as one of the most emotionally painful experiences they have faced in their life. Naturally, we lean on the support and guidance of family and friends to help us through these difficult times. At times, it's important to acknowledge that the support and knowledge of a compassionate and unbiased professional may be needed. Counselling for grief and loss will allow you to speak about the things that have been so difficult to talk about, explore the experience of the loss and the meaning made of the loss, and work towards gentle healing through cultivating self-compassion, acceptance, and growth.

Grief can be experienced through a variety of losses, including losing a loved one through death or divorce, an unexpected job loss, changes in living conditions, loss of independence due to injury or physical health. Loss can trigger a range of emotional reactions, unique to each individual. I will work with you through care and compassion to sort through those feelings and work together to understand the stages of grief and how to cope.

Together we explore the context of your grief, the meaning it has to you and the process of grief. Loss is not only about the death of life, but it also includes change and absence. Sometimes, our dreams or expectations seem lost and we grieve the reality we know longer see for ourselves. I explore all types of grief with my clients and we come to understand the impact of your loss on your life.

Because loss can't be prevented, grief is inevitable. However, we do not always grieve our most significant losses. It is often far too painful to ‘go there’, and the needed support for doing so may be lacking. Yet non-resolution of often many other strong associated feelings, and experience of sorrow that is not expressed, can harm us by constraining our vitality and perspective on life, robbing us of “aliveness” itself. We can remain ‘stuck’, "depressed", harmed physically by stress effects while compromising our close relationships. Grieving can be greatly obstructed by unprocessed hurts from our earlier life, especially childhood, ie, unfelt prior losses, requiring skillful assessment.

I, like many of us, am no stranger to the feelings of grief and loss and I am aware of how deeply unique and personal these experiences can be. The way that I imagine being part of your journey through these moments is by holding your hand and walking through this unknown path together, while discovering new aspects and meanings of the self along the way. I will check in with you to ensure that we are walking this path on a pace that is most suitable for you, for there is no need to rush during this time. Contact me to schedule a free consultation to ensure we are a good fit.

Individual therapy is focused on your unique needs and goals. Individual therapy includes learning about your history and life experiences then establishing goals to accomplish in counselling. Our histories are the roots that provide us with a foundation of strength and resilience. But, our histories can also hold the stories that cause pain, insecurity and doubt. It is our belief that the best therapy comes from helping to heal the roots that cause those stuck points. Through this we can create lasting change.

Grief counseling helps people cope with grief and mourning following the loss of a loved one or due to major life changes that trigger feelings of grief (i.e. job loss or divorce). It provides a space for individuals to work through and process the complex emotions surrounding loss. Healthy grieving results in remembering the loss with a newfound sense of peace, rather than searing pain.

Our team has specialized training in working with grief and loss. By providing a supportive and attuned space, we're here to help you during this painful and confusing time. We focus on helping you process grief at your speed, and to develop healthy coping strategies. There can be a lot of mixed messages, and expectations at this time, and we're here to help you work through them and grow

Wouldn’t it feel reassuring to have someone listen with compassion? Whether you've lost someone physically or psychologically, grief hits you when you least expect it. We can try everything to avoid those emotions that follow, but grief is patient, grief does not discriminate and will wait until you're done. Greif will wait until you finally have a moment to yourself or when you're in the middle of a conversation. Let's move through the grief and be waiting for it instead.

Unfortunately, we will all face grief and loss some time in our lives. Fortunately, it is possible to recover and move forward in life. Through counselling, I can help you: understand the impact of the loss (e.g., on your mood, functioning, behaviour and general well-being); how to grieve the loss in a healthy way; and how to move forward with hope, confidence and success.

I create a safe and supportive environment where you feel comfortable expressing your emotions and thoughts related to your loss. I encourage clients to talk about their feelings regarding the loss and work through any unresolved issues, conflicts or emotions. By creating the space for clients to acknowledge their unresolved/unknown feelings, they can work on actually feeling and processing the emotions and begin the healing. Additionally, I work with clients to develop coping skills to manage the practical challenges of loss so they can move forward in their life.

Grief can be one of the most painful and overwhelming life events. It is a process where we are required to adapt to a new life due to the death of a loved one or the end of a significant relationship. Everyone experiences grief and loss differently. Using a client centered approach I can assist you to work through your grief and learn coping strategies to address your conflicting emotions related to your loss.

Grief and loss is a natural part of living, causing distress to those affected by it. Whether it is the loss of a person in your life, job loss or the effect of other transitions, every human is affected deeply by these events. As a therapist, I can support you through your loss, providing a place of compassion and comfort, providing solid ground during a time of uncertainty.

The journey through loss or grief can be difficult and can sometimes feel overwhelming. I can help get through the difficult times and places where people sometimes get 'stuck'. My certificate from UWO in Grief and Bereavement gave me the necessary training but I also have the experience and ability to hear and walk with hurting people. Death of a loved one, relationship loss, empty nest, or job loss are only a few of the life losses that people grieve. I can help.

Are you feeling kind of lost, disoriented, with no energy, now that he/ she/ they/ it are gone? Any kind of loss implies a change and any kind of change implies a loss. It can be from losing another person, a pet, a job, an expectation, a friendship, relocating and/ or loss of health/ a change in your body/ or a reaction following a natural disaster or a violent event. Have you tried to just "take it; tough it out" and not given yourself the time to really grieve and heal? Adela can facilitate your healthy grieving. Through this process you can find your ground and re-create your life in a new way.

Grief, loss, and bereavement, whether it is the passing of a loved one, the end of a career, or the falling-apart of a relationship are all similar: we are losing or have lost an important part of our lives. Understanding the emotions, feelings, and behaviours we have when we experience grief and bereavement is part of helping us accept what has occurred, why we feel the way that we are feeling, and what is next for us. In working with clients on grief, loss, and bereavement it is important to understand that the way we process these experiences is unique to each person, and the pillar of respect is paramount.