Grief and Loss Counseling in Perryville, MD.

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.

When we think of grief and the grieving process, we think of losing someone that we love. While this is true, there are many things we can grieve; a broken relationship, job loss, loss of a pet, lost opportunities, loss of familiar environment or things, etc. Basically, if you value it and lose it, you will grieve it. While there is no "right" way to grieve, I can serve as your supportive guide assisting you through the grief process, helping you navigate the complex thoughts and feelings that accompany significant loss. Our goal is to reach a level of acceptance and resiliency that best serves you.

Grief and loss comes in many different packages: losing an elderly parent, a dear friend, and worst of all, a child. Another extreme form of grief and loss although not as readily identified in this category is the loss an adopted child suffers when being relinquished by his/her biological family. I have worked with many adopted children and adolescents who often struggle with depression and anxiety without even realizing that they are experiencing grief and loss. Often just labeling the grief begins the journey to healing. Others simply need permission to grieve. My office is a safe place where those who need to grieve are permitted to do so and find they then begin to heal.

People who are expereincing grief and loss often feel overwhelmed with a variety of unpleasant feelings such as anger, quilt, sadness and shock. Adjusting to the loss can be very difficult and painful. There is no one way to do that. Grief and loss requires coping strategies that therapy can help you find. Therapy can help you find navigate the emotional challenges that come with grief and loss.

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.

Loss is inevitable. It is the flip side of love and the greatest pain we know. Hearts can break and hearts can heal. We must first accept ALL feelings. We can cultivate gratitude for the gifts our loved one gave us. Sometimes it is also important to acknowledge and learn from the mistakes of the one we have lost., the ways they may have caused pain to themselves and others. If the person has been a large part of our daily living, it is as if we need to recreate our lives bringing new resources into the emptiness. The waves of extreme pain become less frequent with time. The person's memory remains with us, and their gifts to us can inspire those very strengths in ourselves.