Grief and Loss Counseling in Maple Grove, MN.

People who work with me on grief and loss will benefit from my person-centered and non-pathologizing approach. When we loose someone or something that has deep meaning in our lives, it is only natural that our lives are disrupted. I provide people with the support, time and space they need to move through grief and loss at a pace that is right for them.

Grief and loss are part of life. We all go through grief at our own pace and it is not a linear process. It is more of a jumbled process landing on different phases of: anger, denial, depression, bargaining and eventually acceptance. After consulting with a grief counselor for a couple years I feel competent in helping clients move through their grief.

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.

Whether your loss is sudden and clear or chronic and ambiguous you will experience grief. Grief is a normal response but it seems to have a mind of its own and can be completely overwhelming. Yet you must go on with your life somehow. The goal of grief counseling is not to get over it, but to help you build resilience and strength, find a new sense of meaning, and to grow forward in your own way. I will walk with you through this valley and support you in finding the path to recovery.

Overcoming grief and loss requires a balance of experiencing emotional pain and the conscious attempt to move forward in life in positive ways. This is a delicate balance and healing may take time. But there is always hope for a positive future that must be nurtured within the reality of one's loss.There must be an authentic experiencing of the feelings of hurt and pain. And this may take considerable time and patience, though every person is different in the way that they handle loss. Every person should be respected in their path taken for personal healing.

Grief is part of life as the Buddhists say. Our approach is to help clients accept the loss by working through the pain, without feeling alone that way they can adjust to the loss and move on. Grief is painful. It is easier to deal with when one does not feel so alone. We use a strengths based approach to grief work. Each person knows what is best for them to heal and we yield to that internal wisdom.

Grief is normal, exquisitely painful, and seriously lonely. My earliest therapy experience was as a Hospice Grief Counselor for four years. In those formative years, I learned the core issues that hamper our grief, the practices that make grief more tolerable, and the practiced patience necessary to bring comfort to those suffering sudden and protracted loss. I won't rush you. I'll normalize your pain and I'll nudge you gently toward practices that help.

Few of us are able to avoid feeling grief or loss. It can occur throughout our life in many different situations and for many reasons. It can be devastating to individuals, families, and communities. A person's ability to cope (resilience) is a big factor to consider when helping people with grief. Help is a very individual process. Therapists must be able to understand the event, but more importantly the impact on and resilience of the client, for best interventions.

As an experienced Christian Counselor and ordained pastor, I’ve supported many men through the grief process. If you’re grieving, I will provide a supportive space for you to process your emotions. Because grief is a normal part of being human, I can’t take it away or rush you through it. However, I can help you identify barriers to grief, and help you prevent the grief process from becoming stuck. I know grief professionally. But I also know grief personally. Losing one of my best friends and my beloved grandparents was hard enough, but facing the untimely death of my father was, and is, a uniquely painful experience. If given the chance, I would be honored to help you process your grief.

When you lose someone or something that you love, it can feel as though your world has ended. Grief can feel crushing. It can abate and a crushing tsunami of heavy may get triggered with seeming small instances where you suddenly 'remember' that this is happening and it is real. There is no 'getting over it'. It is so hard to even accept that this is really happening. You are faced with learning to move forward with this void. If you are further into your grief, you may feel alone and worried about burdening others with this pain. I understand and I want to help you.

Grieving is different than depression! At times we may not be able to distinguish between the two. Grieving is a very individual process. We all do it differently. It can result from the death of someone significant in our lives, but also from other events too. For example, meeting a long-term goal, divorce, the loss of physical health & functioning, loss of a job, or after a traumatic experience. To grieve effectively any of us need support and encouragement to face the needs and painful feelings that we often would prefer to avoid. I find that providing a warm, safe environment and supportive guidance allows my clients to feel what they need to feel in order to integrate painful losses.

How one experiences grief varies widely from one person to another. After the death of a loved one, life can lose its meaning, others' expectations of how we 'should' be feeling, doing, or behaving can create added stress. We will help you understand your experience of loss, redefine your life, create a different future, and help you restore your heart and spirit, finding your path back to a different life, full and joyful again. Visit our website at http://www.centerlifecounseling.com for more information or to contact us for scheduling.

The loss of a loved one, career, pet, or other important aspect can often shift our world and leave a tender, gaping wound. Working together to work on this sense of, or actual, loss through compassionate, gentle and affirmative therapy. Helping process through the pain does not mean you do not care about the loss, but you do not need to struggle through the pain alone.