Grief and Loss Counselling in Calgary, AB.

Not only is grief painful because you have lost someone or something you love and care about, but often people can hold a wide range of emotions that amplify the grieving experience. For example, some people may feel guilt - the feeling I didn't do enough, I didn't act soon enough; or fears about what the future might hold. My job is to hold space for all the layers of your grief experience and help you express your pain while also considering how to begin resuming your life after your loss. You can expect to be met with gentle compassion, space for your tears, and help to begin taking small steps of care towards your self along side of your grief.

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.

While grief and transition are a natural part of life, we are still often overwhelmed by sadness, anger and all the confusing emotions that come with loss. There is no right or wrong way to grieve—just your body and mind doing what it can to process the pain of major life change and the loss of how things were. Working with me means compassionate care that helps you to approach and feel your feelings in a safe way, taking things one step at a time. I promise you that all grief can be transformed into a gentle honouring of who or what was lost. I would be happy to team up with you in your journey towards peace and acceptance.

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.

Grief is a natural process that can hurt like your heart's literally being ripped out or like there's a huge hole inside - however you experience it, it's a pain that can defy description. I can guide you through the healing process, which can look different for everyone depending on the situation. It's not about forcing you to move on - it's about helping you grow around the loss until you personally feel comfortable living a full life again.

My goal is to offer a space for you to work through the grief process in however that needs to look for you. We will focus on exploring the loss in conjunction with understanding its impact on your functioning. We will exploring coping strategies to understand their role and function. We will focus on ensuring tools are in place for times when emotions are more challenging.

Grief and loss are one of the most difficult situations in the human condition. I've worked with many clients who struggle to move on after loss, or who are currently grieving and need someone to help them confront their emotions. In my experience there is no one size fits all therapy for dealing with grief and loss so understanding the meaning and emotions attached to your loss help us both to process what has happened so that you can begin to breath again and become hopeful for your future.

Experiencing grief and loss can feel like navigating through a fog of pain and confusion. This intense emotional journey often brings feelings of deep sadness, loneliness, and disconnection from daily life. My approach provides a compassionate, understanding space where you can openly express and process your grief. Together, we'll explore healing paths, helping you to gradually find closure and peace. As we work, you'll begin to rediscover joy and meaning in life, transforming grief into a respectful memory that honors your loss while allowing you to embrace the present and future.

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.

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.

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.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by loss, struggling to cope with the pain, and finding it hard to move forward? Grief can be isolating and exhausting, leaving you feeling stuck in sadness and longing for peace. As a clinical counsellor, I understand how difficult this journey can be. But I also know that healing is possible. Imagine having someone by your side who truly understands what you're going through, who offers compassionate support and effective strategies to help you heal. Together, we can navigate this difficult time and find a way to honour your loss, rebuild your strength, and rediscover hope. Let's start this journey together. Book a free 15-minute phone consultation today.

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.