Grief and Loss Counselling in Cranbrook, BC.

Grief and loss can be caused by many different events in life and we all respond to our feelings of grief and loss differently. Grief and loss can include: Death of a loved one, separation or divorce, loss of a relationship, loss of a job, empty nest transitions, retirement, job relocation or loss of a pet, to name a few. Bettina will compassionately help you through this difficult time of grief and loss, so you are able to move through the difficult stages with more support, compassion and understanding of yourself.

Grief is a natural and complex emotional response to loss, typically associated with the death of a loved one. However, grief can also stem from a variety of other losses, such as the end of a relationship, the loss of a job, or even the loss of a cherished pet. Dealing with grief can be an intensely challenging experience, often affecting various aspects of a person's life, including their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. In such times of profound sorrow, therapy emerges as a crucial tool for navigating the intricate web of emotions, allowing individuals to process their feelings and find a path towards healing.

Helping people work through their grief and loss is often about encouraging their healing process. This healing process is natural and yet we can get stuck. With compicated grief issues it can be helpful to have a counsellor facititate the client with caring and compassion to further the healing. People need to come away from counselling ultimately believeing that their is hope for a less painful, brighter future.

Grief and loss, while universal aspects of human experience, manifest themselves very differently depending upon the nature of the relationship with the person we have lost, the circumstances surrounding the loss, and our own stage in development. Grief often involves not only loss due to death, but the also loss of identity that accompanies a chronic health condition, relationships ending, the transition to retirement, or the loss of a beloved pet. The transition through grief involves a highly individual process of finding closure, bringing a sense of meaning to the loss, and re-investing in life following the loss.

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

While grief and transition are a natural part of life, we are still often overwhelmed by sadness, anger and all the confusing emotions that come with loss. There is no right or wrong way to grieve—just your body and mind doing what it can to process the pain of major life change and the loss of how things were. Working with me means compassionate care that helps you to approach and feel your feelings in a safe way, taking things one step at a time. I promise you that all grief can be transformed into a gentle honouring of who or what was lost. I would be happy to team up with you in your journey towards peace and acceptance.

Losing a friend or family member can be devastating no matter the circumstances. We can also experience pain from losing a pet, a job or the ending of a relationship. Regardless of what kind of grief or loss you are struggling with, I will support you in facing your pain and finding a way forward. I will help you to understand the process and stages of grief and make sense of it. When we come to make meaning out of our loss our pain is lessened. I will also help you find peace and acceptance.

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.

When we experience loss, we can become stuck in a pattern of negative feelings and emotions. It can be hard to more forward in the healing process. EMDR can help by targeting and reprocessing the underlying memories and emotions associated with the loss, thus allowing us to move through the stages of grief in a more healing and adaptive way. By reprocessing the negative experiences, we reduce the negative symptoms and increase our sense of emotional resilience and well-being.

We don't just "get over " grief because a person we loved is gone and there is no right time when grieving should end. Grief is a process we must go through in order to come to terms with loss and find a measure of peace, which looks different for every person. It's important to have a safe place to cry or be angry with a well-trained counsellor who is patient, understanding and has experienced deep loss herself. We can talk about what you feel, make sense of what happened, help you find ways to honour those you have loved in meaningful ways so, over time, you can move forward in a way that is right for you.