Grief and Loss Counselling in Abbotsford, BC.

Loss and life come hand in hand; whether it be a loved one, a pet or any other thing we hold dear, we all experience grief at some point. When faced with loss, grief is a natural response which comes with a multitude of feelings. Counselling can be a space to explore all that comes with grief or simply sit with our grief and build compassion for ourselves through our experience.

I previously provided consultations for the BC Coroner's Office for 14 years. I functioned as a behavioural investigator and my role was to investigate completed suicides of youths 18 years of age and under. Needless to say this provided me with an opportunity to provide initial grief support to the most some of the most vulnerable clients at a most difficult time! As difficult as this role was it was an honour to have this opportunity to be there at the darkest hour!

In my practice of grief and loss therapy, I provide a compassionate and supportive space for clients to navigate the complex emotions and challenges that arise from experiencing loss. I understand that grief is a deeply personal journey and honor each individual's unique process. Through empathetic listening, validation, and gentle guidance, I help clients explore their feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, and confusion. Drawing from various therapeutic modalities such as narrative therapy, existential therapy, and mindfulness techniques, I assist clients in finding meaning, fostering resilience, and integrating their loss into their lives in a way that allows for healing and growth.

Individuals, couples, and families experience grief in their own way and on their own time. Often the feeling of loss changes and it can be extremely helpful to have someone to support you along your journey without judgment or expectations. To walk alongside with empathy and understanding.

All humans experience grief and loss at one time in their lives. I work with clients to help them accept the loss that has occurred in their lives. Once acceptance has been achieved I work with the clients to help them remember with a new perspective. Emotions play a large part in how humans work through difficult times. I help them connect to these emotions using mind/body connection process. My clients have been able to move on and live their life instead of existing within pain.

Grief and loss are a natural part of life. That cannot be avoided. Pain is inevitable but suffering is not. Giving people the space to feel what they feel and express what is going on inside them is so important in processing the impact of grief and loss. Grief is not limited to loss through death but also loss in any significant area of our life. Loss of relationship, loss of expectation, loss of opportunity. None is more or less important than any other. I can offer you a safe space to mourn and I can help you rebuild.

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.

I have journeyed with clients through the grieving process and have been moved by the vulnerability and strength of my clients. Some areas of grief that I have particular experience in are pregnancy loss/stillbirth, loss of a parent, and grief of a "former self" as an individual enters into a new and unfamiliar stage of life. It has been a privilege to walk alongside clients as they process, remember, and honour the loss of their loved ones.

If you have lost someone, I offer a compassionate and supportive space to explore your unique experience of loss. Listening carefully to your story, there's an opportunity to identify and honour your feelings, your memories and your relationship. Through gentle conversation and questions, there's a chance to rewrite your grief story, discover strengths, attend to resilience and find meaning amidst your pain. You can begin to acknowledge what you've been through while promoting healing, growth, a continued bond with the one who has passed and learning to live with loss

My approach is to join with you to understand your experience of loss intimately and deeply in conversation with you. When we are joined with the pain, you will not have to feel it alone, even if the grief is only fully healed with time. I will help you make sense of your feelings and provide psychoeducation around the phases of grief, specifically to how these known phases can be meaningful to your current experience, what you are feeling, and how you can continue to honour the person, relationship, or thing that you have lost and find acceptance and hope.

Dealing with grief & loss is not easy. When we are grieving, it is often multi-faceted and non-linear, it can bring up many different emotions, some unexpected. Working with a therapist through grief & loss can help process the many emotions that may arise. I view the grieving process of each client as unique and support you by allowing space and guiding you to process whatever is coming up in a way that feels comfortable and towards healing.

I understand that the pain you're going through right now feels unbearable, like a heavy weight on your soul. In our work together, we'll create a safe space to explore your feelings and memories, using therapeutic approaches tailored to your unique experience of grief. While the journey ahead may be challenging, it's important to remember that healing is possible. You don't have to go through this alone; I'll be here to support you every step of the way, helping you find a path toward hope and renewal.

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.

There is at least one therapist at Pacific Coast counselling who specializes in issues related to Grief and Loss. Having a safe space where you are able to process your grief and be supported in your journey while you seek to establish a "new normal" is essential to the healing process. The stages of grief are seldom cookie cutter and almost never in order.