Grief and Loss Counseling in Nevada City, CA.

Grief is a normal part of loving and losing the person you loved. For many, however, it can become overwhelming and even lead to symptoms of depression. Or maybe you think you should be over it by now, and can't understand why you're not. For five years, I volunteered with Hospice, helping people with complicated bereavement issues to come to terms with the loss of the one who had been so important in their lives. You don't have to carry this alone. Get the support and relief you need as you say good-bye to your loved one so that you can move forward again in your life.

I help clients navigate grief and loss by welcoming their deep feelings as a part of the process and navigating them carefully when they become overwhelming. Grief is a growth process like other difficult experiences, and I help clients find the resilience inside themselves to both honor their loss while getting stronger. By honoring the pain of the loss, we can move into a new phase of life that allows for thriving.

Grief and loss is a part of so much more than many recognize in every day life. Most folks are familiar with the Kubler-Ross stages, but processing grief is much more than those five stages. There are tasks of mourning that can be explored and expanded with support in therapy. There are secondary losses as a result of an initial loss. Grief impacts how open we feel to new relationships in our lives. I work with clients to help them understand their responses to grief, move through their grief and feelings through expressive arts and verbal processing.

Life is full of endings and losses of all kinds - some natural and expected, others tragic and unexpected. Many times, your friends and family are not able to offer the depth of support needed to help with the pain and anguish you are feeling, as much as they love you and do their very best. Having a safe, nurturing place to grieve and heal can help you integrate and adjust to losses and endings in your life. Every ending is also a new beginning. You deserve as much time as you need to experience your grief. Finding meaning and hope after loss is the next step after grieving. Let's work on both!

Grief and loss comes in all forms, from the death of a pet, to moving, to the loss of a dream, to the death of a child or spouse, and more. My clients discover grief and loss are a process (which includes: shock/disbelief, anger, blaming, depression/sadness, bargaining, and denial), and how to move through that process to an increased state of acceptance. As their state of acceptance increases, my clients experience an increase in forgiveness, healing, freedom and hope for the present and future. My clients see how they can begin to feel good about their life and future again.

The perception of grieving must be processed and understood before coping with loss can begin. There is individual timing in the grieving process, before the return to re-discovery. We are alive. What do we to do when we lose an attachment; positive or a negative one, who was part of our life? There are a number of emotions that emerge; confusion, sadness, guilt. Turn to your spiritual family and your friends. Take care of yourself. Continue to exercise; eat healthily; get plenty of sleep; work at letting go of feeling guilty. Verbally and emotionally express your loss. Say what you never got to say. Accept emotional support. Do not isolate

Grief can be a difficulty beast to manage, a beast which can surface at any moment without warning and often comes in waves. When I’ve been grieving I’ve felt like I was in an emotional pong ball. With the aid of tools like EMDR CBT and guided visualizations I can help you to heal and leave the pain, loss, and grief in the past while holding on to the happy memories. Additionally, I can provide tools, coping skills, and other resources to help you manage this particular issue.