Grief and Loss Counselling in Picture Butte, AB.

Grieving is healthy and involves a person experiencing loss acknowledging the loss and allowing some form of emotional connection to be experienced. If the loss was dramatically, or even traumatically significant to the person, the grieving process will likely be cyclical throughout the rest of that person’s life. All losses experienced will be grieved at some level, at various points in life following the loss. Grieving, even decades after a loss, does not mean a person is “broken” and in need of “fixing”. Stages of Grieving is more about “Tasks” that may happen repeatedly and at random placements rather than lineal stages.

Grief is a potential reaction to a loss of any kind whether through death, divorce, abandonment, separation, job loss, illness, disease diagnosis, kids leaving home, etc. Feelings of anger, resentment, shame, confusion, isolation or abandonment can result. Friends and family may not know what to say or how to provide support. A trained professional, who is profoundly sympathetic, respectful and empathetic, with the skills required to help one navigate through this difficult time, can be critical in helping one regain equilibrium.

Are you feeling lost and overwhelmed after a loved one has passed away or a partner has left? Do you feel like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? Do you find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, or focus on your daily tasks? Grief can be a heavy burden, but you don't have to carry it alone. As a specialist in grief counselling, I can help you find a way through. By combining both warmth and compassion, as well as evidenced-based techniques, I can help you make sense of your loss. Together, we can find relief from the pain, while still honouring the memory of the person you've lost. If you're ready to start feeling better, don't hesitate to call.

My approach to grief and loss therapy is to increase my client's understanding of grief and loss and to help normalize and embrace their emotions during the grieving process. It is important to validate the past (because everyone grieves differently), adjust to the present (focusing on new skills and strategies while restructuring identity and roles), and redefine the future without their loved one while identifying hope and purpose.

Are you using alcohol, substances, or addictive behaviors to cope with grief and loss? Although they provide relief in the short term, their long-term effects on your relationships and health can make it even more difficult to cope. Through a compassionate non-judgmental approach, I help clients explore their relationship to grief and loss so that they can overcome addictive coping strategies. If you're looking for another way forward, feel free to reach out and we can set up a free consultation to discuss further.

Grief is something that no one can avoid but it can be one of the hardest things to acknowledge. Grief is a response to a loss and a form of emotional suffering. Everyone has a different grieving process that encompasses a variety of emotions such as anger, anxiety, guilt, and regret. Emotions can be confusing during the process and can be difficult to manage. What we feel when experiencing grief is one thing, but what we do with it, is another. It is my goal to support, acknowledge, and work with you in finding ways to heal. It is my hope to walk with you in this journey, to accept what is, feel, adjust, and eventually, find meaning.

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 we are facing grief and loss, there is often a complex web of emotions and many layers of meaning-making to encounter in our healing process. The path is never linear. The timeline requires sensitivity and nuance. Compassion, patience and the ability to hold seemingly contradictory feelings are paramount. With gentle presence, we can hold the magnitude and the subtleties of this experience moving step by step towards healing.

Who can go through life without suffering grief and loss? It is part of the human journey. So rather than running away from it, medicating it, why not find a trusted companion to process it. This would mean acknowledging what the loss object has added to your life and its meaning, what you will miss, and how you will reconstitute your life now for growth and a different future. Working with a therapist, you can find symbols and design rituals to represent various pieces of your loss to help you integrate what you let go of and the new life that beckons you.

Grief is a normal response to loss. Together we can help you feel less alone as you make your way through the rivers of grief and forests of sadness. I believe no matter how much pain we are in, something inside us is stronger than pain. Accommodating the process of grief and its effects do not have to be processed alone. You can get through this pain, and there is a path back to feeling alive again. We will email back and forth, it's just like talking to a friend only you will receive professional help on your own schedule. Secure, and completely confidential, to assist you in the healing process around mourning , and provide comfort to the bereaved.