Grief and Loss Counselling in Balzac, AB.

We all experience loss in our lives, to differing degrees. Grief is an emotional response to the experience of loss. Loss and resulting grief can come in a wide variety of forms. Grief can occur in a situation where we have lost a loved one. This type of grief is known as bereavement. Loss and grief can also occur in more subtle ways, such as feeling as though one has lost an identity after having a child. Grief can manifest in a range of feelings including deep sadness, anger, guilt, regret, and yearning . The journey of adapting to loss varies greatly from person to person. Whatever kind of loss you have experienced, therapy can be a safe space to explore your emotions and memories.

Losing a loved one, a relationship, a dream...it's hard for all of us. It hurts, there's no getting away from it. It's the avoidance of those normal painful feelings that make things worse. Healthy grieving requires that we allow ourselves to go through, not around, the process. Learning to experience and deal with our feelings is the key to moving forward after a loss.

Standard Grief: Sadness directly related to a loss. Complex Grief: Sadness related to a loss. Includes additional meanings and associated emotions as in: Regret – “I am a horrible person” Anger – “The universe took something too soon” Hopelessness – “ My life has not meaning now” Fear – “I am at risk of losing more” Helpless – “I am incapable- I cannot go on” Complex grief is grieving that get stuck because of the complicating meaning the trauma of loss has triggered. In order to treat complex grief, we remove the LBs associated with the loss, as shown above, and this lets the standard grief progress through the regular stages of grief, to arrive at a healthy perspective on the loss.

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.

I work with clients experiencing grief and loss. The process of grieving is difficult. Many people report feeling crazy with the overwhelming emotions they experience. I provide information about grieving to help normalize your experience. We can look at some of the coping tools involved in the grieving process. I also create a safe space for you to process your experiences.

Everyone grieves in their own way and in their own time. Each experience of grief is unique, complex, and personal, and our therapists will tailor treatment to meet the specific needs of each person. Four common tasks of grieving are accepting the reality of the loss, working through the pain of the loss, adjusting to a new reality, and maintaining a connection with the deceased (in the case of death of a loved one). Our therapists can help you to work through these tasks in a supportive and non-judgmental environment.

Grief and loss are frequently a root cause of substance abuse, addiction and disorders. The grief process tends to deplete a person's resources, taking up a great deal of their physical, mental, and emotional energy. The absence is not the only thing they are mourning. Their plans, dreams and wishes have changed, and they are being required to let go of the future they anticipated. The phases of mourning include a desire to reverse the loss, feelings of pain and chaos, and the reordering of one's life. At Valiant Recovery, clients receive personalized grief counseling tailored to their needs, as well as specialized sessions on grief and loss.

When death occurs, family and friends are left behind to deal with the impact of the loss. Loss and grief are an integral part of our everyday existence, but an experience that is often misunderstood. However, as a death denying society, there is little understanding of the grief process and as a result people who grieve the loss of a loved one often do not receive the support and understanding that is conducive to a healthy grieving process. Consequently, some bereaved individuals often experience a sense of isolation and a feeling that “there is something wrong with me.” Loss and grief impact people of all ages and gender both in similar and unique ways. While grief is considered a normal response to the loss of a loved one, it can manifest itself as...(view profile to read more)

Grief and loss extend to more than losing a loved one to death, it includes loss of a dream of what we thought our life should be or could have been. Loss of a relationship partner to divorce or separation. Understanding the process of grief/loss helps us learn to manage the process. Working with me I can show you tools to assist with pain. The use of mindfulness has been shown to effectively help with grief/loss.

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.

When it all comes crashing down, everyone needs a safe place to be heard. It should be easier for Christians - but often it is far more difficult. It's hard to find a safe place to ask the really hard questions. It's even harder to receive subtle messages to, "Contain your sorrow," from others. So, if you're tired of putting on a brave face, come and experience a place where you can be really understood and real help with navigating through that surreal fog and haze. Life's losses are never a place for pat answers or bandaid solutions.

At some point in our lives we have, or will be, confronted with a loss. Our responses to loss varies, but when the impacts of a loss persist and change the way in which we interact with our environment, it may be time to seek therapeutic support. Loss often results in grief and can occur by death of a loved one (person or pet), separation and divorce, loss of a job, illness and associated loss of ability, or a significant change in circumstances. Loss may result in a loss or change to our identity as a friend, partner, parent, pet parent, home owner, job role, and our faith. I assist clients in navigating their journey from loss to a redefined sense of wholeness and peace.

Sometimes moving on is difficult. But we are expected to just go on with our lives.Maybe 'moving on' is not the way we want to be, maybe not just yet. Maybe we want to find a new way to have a relationship with a loved one we have lost, maybe we need to express anger, maybe we need to choose the memories we hold and cherish. Learn how to grieve as needed and find ways to maintain balance while you do. Find ways to honor those whom you will continue to be in relationship with. Learn to finish one chapter and start a new one.