Grief and Loss Counselling in Thunder Bay, ON.

Learning that grief and love are the same thing can help, as can realizing we are all hardwired to contend with the pain of grief. Many of my clients say they would not trade their pain away now if it mean having not loved that person/animal/job/house. I support clients to find a place in them to house grief, and handle it carefully, gently and with love and compassion. Strength from struggle......

Grief is a complex experience that may be accompanied by a diversity of difficult emotions that are challenging to work around. However, you are not alone. Each of us have a unique relationship with grief, and I am here to support you in discovering what that relationship looks like for you. You don’t have to know where to start or where you are going in your pathway to healing. There is no correct way to grieve. Contact me to book a free consultation to see if we would be a good fit.

Grief and loss can have profound impact on our day to day life. Whether it is the loss of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, a career, or the loss of our health/abilities. Being able to transition to a “new reality” can sometimes feel overwhelming. Allow me the opportunity to work alongside you to “carve out” a path of hope and fulfillment. Compassion and understanding are important elements I will always strive to achieve in our session work.

Many people have ideas about how grief should look or feel based on expectations from family, society, or the media. There are so many experiences and events that deserve be mourned, whether society recognizes them or not, and your feelings about the loss are valid. Your experience of grief is unique to you and there is no correct way to process your loss, which is why I work collaboratively with clients to explore meaning in the thoughts and feelings that emerge as you begin your healing journey. Book a free consultation to learn more about my approach and explore if we are a good fit.

We are all touched by grief and loss at some time in our lives, and often the support of family or friends is enough. There are also times when we could benefit from talking to a counsellor. I provide a safe place to express your experience, to help you find ways to honour the past and also move into the future. Taking care of yourself in the face of loss can make a difference.

I work with men going through loss, whether it be a relationship break-up, retirement, or job loss. And yes, all of these are losses. It's difficult to think you wanted this relationship forever and now you don't have it. Or you've made your career a critical part of your existence. What will your life look like now? Will thinking about it ever go away? There's anger there too. Therapy is a way to get this out. Running away from the loss is a short-term solution. Therapy helps you make sense of feel your feelings in order to feel better in the long-term.

Over the course of our lives, we experience various losses and we grieve in many different ways. It can be difficult to know how to begin working through grief and you do not have to be alone in this process. I believe that grieving is a journey and I welcome the opportunity to support you in your path to healing. Within therapy, we can explore some of the emotions you are experiencing, unpack expectations about what grieving looks like, discuss possibilities for connection with what’s most important within your life, and consider possible ways to honour the loss(es) you have experienced. Contact me or book a free consultation if you wish to learn more.

We all grieve differently; there is no right or wrong way to grieve. It is a uniquely personal experience. My therapeutic approach is to meet my clients where they are and address their current needs. That may be sitting in a safe space and expressing your emotions, talking about how life will be different after the loss or focusing on self-care. I will provide guidance, validation, and support but this journey is yours so I will check in with you regularly to ensure that your needs are being met. Please contact me if you would like to book a free consultation.

What makes grief so painful? Perhaps it's because we experience a double loss. The first is losing a loved one, the second is losing a part of our ourselves. This is why the familiar saying, "you gotta let go," can sometimes make things worse. Instead of letting go, I'm interested in how we can bring people closer: closer to what we hold dear, closer to what we cherished most… In doing so, we can begin to develop a new relationship with our departed loved one, and simultaneously offer comfort and healing to parts of ourselves.

Since everyone is unique and grieves differently, my approach to grief therapy is to tailor counselling to fit with the needs and experiences of the individual person. I offer a safe supportive environment where people can feel free to talk in depth about their deceased loved one; learn how to better understand and cope with their personal reactions to the pain of grief (emotional, physical, behavioural, and spiritual); explore new ways of staying connected to and remembering the loved one who has died; and learn to adjust to a different life than the one they used to know.