Grief and Loss Counselling in Calgary, AB.

Losing someone you care about can be a very challenging experience filled with a range of emotions such as: sadness, guilt, anger, and regret. Although grieving is a natural process and is often resolved over time, on occasion people find that their feelings of loss are debilitating and are not diminishing over time. Others struggle to accept the loss and are inhibited from resuming their life without the presence of their loved one. In these circumstances, grief and loss counselling can be beneficial. If you are struggling, I will strive to accompany you as you work to integrate your loss so that you are able to reach a place of acceptance and reclaim a sense of peace and well-being.

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.

It is impossible to live without experiencing the loss of someone or something that really matters to us. Grieving is a normal human experience but the emotional pain can often be unbearable. Although grieving does not necessarily have an end point, therapy can assist you to cope more effectively with the loss and return sooner to a meaningful and satisfying life.

The loss of someone or something important to you can be extremely overwhelming. For what ever type of loss you experience, grief is a natural reaction. Feelings such as guilt, shock, sadness, and frustration are also common. Each person grieves in their own way and in their own time. There is no one "right" way to grieve, as it depends on your unique situation. I work with each person in a supportive manner to explore emotions and process the loss, so that moving forward becomes a possibility.

Losses can be very difficult to cope with. They often disrupt our routines including positive and rejuvenating activities and connecting with others who are supportive. My approach involved helping clients discuss, process, and grieve their loss in a supportive, safe, and caring place; helping clients re-connect with supportive friends and family and re-initiate positive activities as well as developing new activities and finding new support. Also, cognitive therapy can be a helpful addition which can be used to help clients develop acceptance and realistic thinking and emotions related to their recent loss.

Gerard has diverse experience as a psychologist and leader in social services, schools, university, workplaces, and his private practice. Using a theoretical foundation of social learning and cognitive-behavioural training, he is well-versed in various kinds of formal and informal assessment and solution-focussed approaches. He listens carefully to understand your needs and relies on his extensive experience to help you find solutions.

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 Living Well we journey along side our clients suffering from a loss & offer respect as clients work through their grief. In addition to grief/loss you may be suffering with anxiety or depression, difficult decisions, family concerns & so forth. As such, we attempt to understand all that is going on and then recommend a therapist that's right for you.

Grief is often misunderstood. It is a powerful and natural emotion. When loss occurs, we are hit with a confusing myriad of emotions. Our minds and hearts are battered by an onslaught of scary, strange, unpredictable emotions that do not abate on their own. In the midst of loss, each person’s experience is profoundly unique and often very isolating. Today we are in a grief epidemic. Grief springs not only from death but also from life-altering events (such a brush with cancer). Grief counselling provides many valuable insights including: a) the increased ability to feel and understand the pain of loss experience; b) better ways to manage the challenges that accompany supporting ourselves and....

Loss of relationship like any loss has significant emotional consequences and can have impacts across the life spectrum. The fact that relationships are one of our primary coping mechanisms multiplies the potential distress. Processing and Resolving relationship loss can lead to significant better quality of life as well as significantly improved quality of future relationships.

Grief is difficult and exhausting to navigate and the end goal is hard to determine – what is it we are trying to do? It is not to forget, but to forgive the death. Our most painful experiences bring out the best and sometimes the worst in ourselves and others as everyone searches for peace. As a therapist, I work to organize your thoughts and feelings and to ultimately help find harmony with the new way in which life will be lived following a loss.

Suffering loss and grief is universal and happens to everyone at some point in time, and the pain and suffering felt can leave us feeling overwhelmed, alone, and unable to move on. People respond in very individual ways in dealing with this difficult experience, and many question if their experience/response is normal and how to best cope. I offer counselling to help with all types of grieving, including normal, complicated, traumatic, or persistent/prolonged grieving. The goal is to process your loss so that you can ultimately move forward in a healthy manner. I would consider it a privilege to walk beside you and provide guidance and skills to help you cope during this difficult time.

We all have grief and loss through the course of our lives. Each experience is unique and reflects the nature of our relationship with the person who has died or departed in other ways, or the loss of hopes and dreams which had yet to be realized. You do likely want the support of people in your life, but you may also have difficulty fully sharing your experience with them. I will be able to hear all that you are thinking and feeling, without judgement or expectations. My own experiences of grief have taught me, as has my work with grieving people, that there is no right or "normal" way of grieving, that it's complicated and isn't just "gotten over". I will be there for you.

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.

Clients can expect a client centered, supportive and informative understanding of what to expect regarding grief and loss issues as well as how to work through these issues through hands-on therapeutic techniques. I currently use some emotionally focused therapy techniques as well as models from three different grief cycles for grief issues which can include anything from death and loss of a loved one to giving up substances or breakup of a relationship.

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 is approached with grace, emotional validation and compassion in session. I am very client centred and believe that clients know what is best for them and their grieving and we will work together to find a healing path and journey that works for you in your own time. My goal is to provide compassion and validation throughout the grieving process while offering opportunities to heal and grow through the pain.

Losing someone or something that is close to us, can leave us feeling as though we have a gaping hole in our hearts. Grief and Loss counselling will help you feel less alone during this time of struggle and provide the support needed to find new ways to flourish. It's incredible what kind of growth and new meaning can come from allowing ourselves to be transformed for the better by our loss.

I empathize and listen to individuals facing loss and grief. Many clients would benefit from my Rogerian Approach (Client-Centered Therapy) because when clients have lost a relationship, boyfriend, girlfriend, marriage, or someone they love and care for, it is important that they have someone who can really listen to them and understand what they are going through. Each individual may be unique to how a person grieve a loss. Therefore, I make sure that I respect my clients' unique ways of handling their loss. At the same time, I offer feedback and professional opinions regarding various grieving processes out there--in current literature/research.

For over twenty years I have been working with issues of grief and loss. We have beliefs about how long it takes to move through the typical stages of grief and not everyone fits that. Our culture doesn't always appreciate that grief takes longer, is experienced in unexpected ways or is as significant over time as it is. I can help you move through the loss where ever you are at now. If grief is in control of your emotions and your life I invite you to contact me.

No matter what your loss, you may experience difficult, overwhelming and surprising emotions. As a counsellor and registered nurse, I have been a companion on many people’s journey through grief. I have been there through the final hours of life, with loved ones when death is traumatic and sudden, when death is through suicide and when parents have lost their precious child. I also understand what it is like to lose one’s health. If you have difficulty facing your grief or coping with the pain of loss, are blaming yourself for the loss, have unresolved issues or are depressed, I can help you.

The loss of a loved one can be one of the most challenging emotional experiences that people face in their lives. Loss and grief can also be experienced for other reasons such as when an individual or a loved one develops a serious disability or life-threatening illness. I support people through the symptoms of grief and the difficult life adjustments that follow. The goal of counselling is reached through the expression of emotions, memories and thoughts about the loss, while normalizing its effects. The hope is that eventually people work toward rebuilding and find their new sense of normal.

Grief is a natural response to losing something or someone that you value. Sometimes we grieve the physical loss of someone important to us when they die and sometimes grief can be experienced for symbolic losses such as a loss of a job, loss of identity, and grief can be experienced during life transitions. I use a narrative and person-centered approach to address grief and loss issues. For issues that involve traumatic loss, I can use trauma-informed grief recovery approaches to address complicated grief.

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.

I help clients with grief and loss using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), an approach in which I am certified. I encourage clients to set aside regular times to let themselves grieve. This makes it easier to focus on other matters during the rest of the day. I explore with clients ways of grieving which would be most helpful to them.