Grief and Loss Counselling in Wellington, AB.

My approach as a therapist is client-centred, solution-focused, and relationship based. I believe you are the expert in your own life. Therapy can provide a space to explore life challenges, so you can create new meanings, hope and new beginnings. The alliance we form together in therapy can assist you to work through grief and loss while working toward reaching your individual potential.

Grief and bereavement are very normal responses to loss. However, the experience of grief and bereavement can be extremely difficult and feel paralyzing or overwhelming. Whether you have lost a loved one, a beloved pet, or have experienced a change in ability or circumstance, I can help you explore loss, learn tools to process grief, and build a plan for coping.

Grief can take on a number of forms in pregnancy and parenthood. Grief regarding fertility struggles, miscarriage, infant loss, loss of identity and more can be common experiences for parents. At Nest, we provide a supportive and sensitive environment for those who are struggling with grief and loss and empower individuals to incorporate grief into their lives in a meaningful and sustainable way.

Grief hits hard when you lose someone or something really meaningful, like when someone passes away or big changes happen in your life. Everyone deals with it differently because it's a super personal thing. But here's the think: you don't have to handle it all by yourself. There are ways to support you and help you heal. Talking about your feelings and seeking professional help are good ways to make it through the tough times. It's totally okay to feel sad, and it's okay to ask for help when you need it. Healing take time, but you've got some support to help you every step of the way.

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.

Grief and loss are experiences that we all experience at some point in our lives. However, we all experience the grieving process in our own way. I understand that grief is a very personal process, and I respect that there are many healthy views about what loss means in our lives. If you are finding grief is making it difficult for you to function day to day, I can help. Together we will explore how loss has impacted your life and process this experience in a way that brings insight and understanding that will allow you to move forward. Our goal is not to make a loss a happy memory, nor a memory we forget about, but an experience we are truly at peace with.

The process of coping with any deep emotional loss takes time. Men and women deal with the tragedy of loss in very different ways - our elderly population also experience loss in a way that is very unique to their age and life experiences. Grief and loss will be an aspect of every person’s life at some point. We all cope with these challenges in unique ways. Understanding the stages of grief and how they impact us individually is the first step in managing any loss. And learning effective ways of coping with that pain is critical when we are trying to make our lives functional again.

Grief is a natural process that's painful, personal, and normal. Grief allows a person to come to terms with a significant loss, and make sense of their new reality without a loved one. I can help those who are experiencing complicated grief. Typically, the goals of my therapy for complicated grief revolve around overcoming obstacles to the normal grieving process, and to coming to terms with the loss.

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.

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.

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.

Grief is a natural and universal reaction to events that occur in our lives. Still, the grieving process can be hard to navigate alone. If you are experiencing grief for the loss of a loved one, or if you would like support in processing loss of a different kind, then you can benefit from supportive counselling with me. Psychotherapy for grief and loss provides you with the opportunity to honour the feelings you are experiencing. I will support and guide you to find peace and joy in your own life in a way that values and honours your loss. Grief is natural. We do not need to run from it. I offer you the support and guidance to grieve without being overwhelmed by your loss.

I help clients successfully move through the stages of grief at their own pace. My goal in working with grieving individuals is to help them manage the emotions and turmoil that can accompany loss and to move on with their lives while honouring lost loved ones. Grief responses may range from being relatively straight forward to complicated. Each client's unique experience will be validated and treated as such.

Losses can effect individuals in a variety of ways. Within a cleint-centered counselling approach I provide individuals with a safe and non-judgemental environment in which they can explore their feelings and process various types of losses and grief as well as complicated grief. I assist individuals in adjusting to life after loss and in coping with a variety of changes that can occur within oneself and in relationship with others around them.

Loss and grief come in many forms. Grieving is a personal experience. I have worked with clients experiencing loss of a loved one including a pet companion, loss of functioning/mobility, employment loss including retirement, and relocation/joining a new country. My approach integrates compassion, hope, renewal, and ways to integrate the loss. In my work and research in this area, moving forward from loss combines honouring the past while actively finding new ways to engage in the present.

While grief is a natural part of life, it can be overwhelming to go through the multitude of feelings that accompany a loss. I believe that people grieve a number of events in life, from the death of a loved one, to the loss of important relationships, retirement, the "empty nest," or transitioning from one phase of life to another. I help those who are grieving to understand the process, and learn how to bear the feelings that rise up "like waves." I also work towards helping people to honour the positive aspects of what has been lost, and reach a place of acceptance, while adapting to a new way of living.

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.

Grief is like having a broken rib. You may look fine on the outside, but there is massive pain on the inside. It hurts to move, sometimes it hurts to even breathe. Everyone experiences grief differently, but a commonality is that grieving alone makes it harder to heal. We are social beings and we feel intense grief when we loose someone we love. You are meant to be seen, heard and supported by others through grief. Sadness needs to be processed and there is no quick fix (I wish it was easier). If we can find meaning in the midst of loss it provides something to hold onto as you navigate your pain, and learn to move forward.

Loss can happen at any point in life. The struggle can be particularly damaging when faced with multiple losses through fertility challenges. Loss can be traumatic and swept under the carpet. Your story is important, your feelings are important and I will create a safe place for you to explore your loss and move towards healing. Your response to your own feelings of loss is unique to you. There is no right or wrong. You are accepted for who you are and where you are at in your own process.

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.

Loosing a loved ones hurts especially if it's a spouse, child, parent, friend or family pet. Dealing with grief is a process and having a gentle, compassionate person to walk through this with you can be the difference between drowning, and moving through overwhelmingly painful feelings to feeling whole again. Art therapy offers another modality for expressing grief that may be hard to articulate. It is when we process our emotions that pain can be lifted and new maces of being in the world are found.

The loss of a loved one, whether a spouse, friend, relative or pet, is a tough experience to deal with, and grief is expected and normal in such situations. I can work with you to process the grief that you are experiencing, and together we will work towards finding a stronger person within you, who is able to grieve and accept the loss, and also find ways to adjust to the changes that the loss had in your life.

As cliche as it sounds healing from grief takes time. In fact my philosophy is that you do not really heal from grief. You will always feel the hurt from the loss of the loved one, and it is that hurt that keeps you connected to them. We are not going to try and get rid of your heartache, but rather help you manage and appreciate the heartache that you have in a more optimistic positive manner.

Experiencing the loss of a loved one can leave you with compounded and confusing emotions. In therapy I can help you make sense of these emotions, grieve in healthy ways, and work through the pain in a way that minimizes suffering. We can work together to ensure healthy coping and healing and to bring you towards a new future, in spite of the loss of some of your dreams.

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.