Grief and Loss Counselling in De Winton, 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.

One of the most challenging experiences of life is dealing with the loss of a loved one, a relationship, one's health or even financial loss. It is very important at times like this to have a compassionate professional to talk with, learn coping techniques, and not have to feel overwhelmed by grief. One of the main recommendations I give to clients who are grieving is to resist the thinking of others that "you should be over it by now." There is no specific timetable for grieving. Six months, 1 year, who can say? Only you. I encourage clients to talk with others who are supportive and understanding about loss, though I caution that life must also be allowed to continue alongside 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 offer grief and loss counselling for not only a human loved one but also a beloved pet. I can deeply empathize with my clients due to having experienced these types of losses myself. I believe that it is only through personal experience that one can appreciate the unimaginable sorrow and heartache of losing a special person or animal. This is why support groups are so effective, as people take solace in the reality that they are not alone.

People living in our culture often lack the permission -both from others and themselves - to fully grieve their losses, and yet I have observed that careful attention to grief is so necessary for achieving and maintaining our health and wellness in the long term. I try to support you in approaching grief as a process and a journey. Our work together involves honoring the loss while finding ways to help you manage strong feelings, and re-orient toward the many aspects of your life that your grief touches. Using mindfulness and body awareness helps to both deepen and ground this process, and exploring meaningful personal rituals together (ritual having been a key ingredient in many healthy cultures’ approach to grief) can be very helpful.

If you have experienced the devastating loss of a loved one (pets included) and are seeking a safe environment to explore and release any pain, vulnerabilities, confusion, distressing or overwhelming feelings and emotions, I would be honoured to walk this transformative journey with you. Please contact me for further information on how I can be of assistance and support.

Grief and Loss is a process, while unique to the person there are milestones and supports that can make the process more natural and healthy. Loss and grief is part of the human experience however, we can become challenged in the process by specific events or circumstances while in the vulnerable state of adjustment and grief. Grief and Loss benefits from supports and compassion.

Grief and loss is highly personal and unique. It can come in ebbs and flows and can seem overwhelming at times. As difficult as this is, it can get better, even if the loss remains. Counselling is a soft place for you to land, where you can express what you're feeling, what you'd like to feel and what you'd like to do about it. There is hope and you can learn tools to help you through the tough times, as well as through the pain to the other side. I'm here to help.

Dealing with the loss of an important person is always one of the hardest thing to do. Using a scientifcally savvy approach to bereavement does not mean that we do not use the concept of soul. Understanding the complexity of what happens to us must always been one the most important goals for counseling; and grief, pain and sorrow are often deeper than many people think.

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....

Losses are often the most difficult of life transitions. One can feel like the sadness will never lift or that life no longer has meaning. Grief is a soul journey that will change you physically, emotionally, cognitively, socially, and spiritually. The word "bereavement" literally means to be torn apart. No wonder you feel so tired! Let me companion you as you journey through this dark time in your life. You won't "get over" grief any more than you "get over" love, but you can reconcile this loss in your life and experience a life of hope and joy once more. Learn more about the Companioning Model at centerforloss.com

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.