Grief and Loss Counselling in Sherwood Park, AB.

Our world is forever changed after experiencing a sudden and tragic loss. We may feel very vulnerable to the world around us. Everyday living can be an experience of heightened anxiety, loneliness and tears. We may even have strained relationships because the pain of loss is so overwhelming. Together, we can try to make sense of and to understand your loss. We can learn ways to control your emotions, find peace of mind and change your reactions of memories from sorrow to gratitude.

We all experience grief and loss. Yet sometimes, the pain cuts too sharp. Sometimes, people remain stuck in acute grief for a really long and difficult time. And it continues to hurt too much. To help, I use evidence-based constructivist approaches based on research by Robert A. Neimeyer. They focus on co-creating ways to make sense of what happened. This way, the loss could be integrated into our continuing life stories. Such grief therapy is not truly about moving on or moving past - it is about reconciling whom - or what - you lost with what you still have. So you can continue to live fully, with a place for both sadness and joy of memories in your heart.

Our fast paced world does not create the adequate time needed to process and move forward from loss toward healing. Therefore, the counselling process can create space and time for clients to grieve in the time and way each individual needs. Helping clients to slow down from the busyness of daily demands allows clients to identify the effect of the loss and build hope for the future.

Times of grief and loss can be difficult times to manage on one's own. At times, overwhelming emotions may make you feel too much. By coming to Base Counselling Services, you will be giving yourself an opportunity to unload any extra or potentially unhelpful emotions and develop strategies of your own to cope with a life that may look different than it has in the past.

It has been said that life is about loss, and how one deals with it. Grief is how we deal with loss. Uncomplicated grief is an adjustment process, not an illness. There is one, though...an illness, I mean. I'd say the "illness" is cultural: For one reason or another, people ordinarily lose patience with the grief process, and often well before a healthy mourner is through their active grieving process. Unexpressed grief from former losses can extend the time needed for healthy grieving. People's wounds and scars can close heart and mind toward the grieving process. In an imperfect world, psychotherapists hold space and make time for (and precious to) a balanced grief process.

Grief is often disowned and punished. This means that when grief does arise it can be extra painful because of years of being pushed away. Psychotherapy can be a place to acknowledge and rediscover our grief and explore it. As an inevitable part of life it is important to connect to our need to grieve. By doing this we heal and rediscover intimacy. Visit my website at www.prairieowlpsychology.ca from more details.

Thalia and Thomas's parents separated and they felt deep loss. They live with their father but he didn’t want them to see their Mom. Counselling gave them a chance to open up, express their feelings and build communication so they could explain the importance of a relationship with their mom. This opened the way for their father to allow them access to their Mom. Thalia and Thomas felt recognized, important and heard. Their relationship with both parents improved.

Grieving a loss can feel overwhelming and sometimes it feels like the pain will never end. Grieving is a painful journey, but one that lessens over time. At Compassionate Counselling Inc. we recognize that the process of grieving is unique to each person and adjust our approach accordingly. We offer a safe place to share your hurt and anger and to work through the pain.

Death is an inevitable facet of life, and the loss of a loved one ~ changes a lot of things. The greatest loss is loosing our part in the relationship and how it anchored us. Death changes one's entire platform of life. Complicated grief is when unresolved issues still linger, or when a difficult relationship has ended. It leaves us destitute and incomplete. At SunRise we would like to help you find a renewed sense of purpose. A way to reconcile and move on without forgetting. We would like to assist you in finding a deeper meaning to that persons life, and focus on the legacy they left behind ~ and the way they touched your hearts. We would like to help you grieve ~ and still grow.

We all experience and grief and loss in our lives and each individual progresses through these stages in very different ways. I work with clients presenting with grief and loss from a perspective that acknowledges and respects the different stages of grief that each person may be experiencing. My goal is to help each client navigate the complex emotions that accompany loss while giving them the tools to manage these emotions more effectively.

Grief can feel as if we’ve had the wind knocked out of us, and that the world keeps going while the clock has stopped for us. Society, however, asks us to get on with our lives rather quickly. Sometimes it feels like our friends and family members don’t know what to do or say, which can leave us feeling isolated with our grief. It is important to take time to work through feelings of grief and loss otherwise we end up feeling disconnected from ourselves and others. I provide a supportive space in which to express the thoughts and feelings you have in a safe, compassionate and non-judgmental environment.