Grief and Loss Counseling in Mission Viejo, CA.

Grief & loss is often felt with the death of a loved one. It can also be experienced from the loss of a relationship, your health, your job, or your home. The grieving process can be complicated. You may love someone who suffers from a significant memory loss due to Alzheimer’s, stroke or a traumatic brain injury. You may feel guilty for grieving the loss of the person you knew before the illness because you feel you should be grateful he/she is still alive. As a person loses their memory, an important part of who they are gets lost. It is appropriate for this grieving process to begin before death. I would love to support you through whatever loss you are currently experiencing.

Dr. Laura Adams is a licensed MFT and Psychoanalyst in Mission Viejo and Newport Beach CA, specializing in grief & loss counseling and psychotherapy. Dr. Adams counsels Individuals, families and couples using a Psychodynamic approach as a way to help patients to process feelings and experience following the loss of a loved one. Dr. Adams can be reached at (949) 244-1992. www.SouthOCTherapist.com

Are you dying inside? Experiencing heartbreak that fills you with utter despair? Do friends and family keep telling you that it is time to “move on”? Do you feel that no one could possibly understand your pain? Please understand that YOUR EMOTIONS ARE NORMAL AND TO BE EXPECTED! I would like to help you recognize and understand the reactions that you may be feeling…feelings of sadness, frustration, confusion, anger, anxiety, numbness, and helplessness, all of which are normal. I will listen to you, support you, and I will not rush you. I will help you draw upon your own strengths and develop healthy coping mechanisms that will allow you to gradually recover and feel joy again.

When we lose someone we love, it feels like we have lost a part of ourselves. Something within us has been torn out, leaving a hole that we easily imagine will never heal. The pain can be profound, the feelings of helplessness, or regret, or guilt overwhelming. Having a partnership where you can talk through these feelings can make a huge difference not only in how quickly and how well you are able to move through the process of grieving, but also how you ultimately are able to frame the experience and your memories of the person lost into the narrative of your own self and life as you move forward. What you carry with you afterward is just as important as surviving the hurt of the loss.

Grief is hard. Grief is natural. Animals grieve. Grief is something we feel deep in our bodies and can be disorienting and destabilizing. Grief brings up questions about who we are, the world, the existence or goodness of God, and purpose and futility of life. Dealing with grief, especially when the loss is traumatic and unexpected, requires a slow and tender space to allow the grief to move through our body and to settle in our hearts with warmth and memory. I am here to help you grieve the loss of your loved one, experience, health , future or even your beloved pet. .

Working through grief and loss can be confusing and feel isolating. With my approach, I can walk alongside you through the different stages of grief, help you identify the unique ways you are currently grieving now and will need to grieve in the future, and bring you back to a place of resolution regarding your loss, whether that's related to a loved one, a relationship, or otherwise.

Although grief is an inevitable experience in life, coping with loss can be immobilizing. Because each individual is unique, finding the support you need to move through to a place of peace and acceptance is vital. I work with clients to help them process the pain of loss by addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual issues that may be keeping them from resolving their pain and moving forward to a place of healing and acceptance. We work together to build a structure that both motivates and enables the healing process to begin and ultimately gives them the opportunity to overcome and triumph over grief.