Grief and Loss Counseling in Peculiar, MO.

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.

The loss of a loved one or instrumental person in your life brings a range of mixed emotions. There are times when grief and loss can become debilitating, and the help of a trained therapist can be helpful. Overwhelming sadness can turn into depression and post traumatic stress disorder. EMDR, individual talk therapy, and expressive techniques such as art and sand tray therapy can help. Nothing can bring your loved one back. But being able to live your life, while remembering your loved one and all the positive memories, will help you be able to look forward in life, instead of feeling stuck in the past.

I am passionate about my work with individuals suffering with grief and loss. I have been touched personally by significant losses including the death of my father when I was a child and the unexpected death of my first husband after being married for just seven months. Some life experiences teach you more than what can ever be learned in the classroom. I consider it a privilege to be with you in this process. While no two experiences are the same I can relate in a very real way and be able to draw on experiences to help you manage your way through grief. I can hold your hope when you are left to pick up the pieces and create a life that you can live in without the one you love.

It is my goal to provide you with a safe and compassionate environment while you process your loss. I believe that everyone's grief and life circumstances are unique. Whether you are experiencing anger, sadness, anxiety, or not sure what you're feeling, having a space to process your feelings can be an important aspect of healing. It would be an honor to be a part of your journey.

I use Self Psychology (a branch of psychoanalysis that uses human developmental science, sustained empathy and the therapy relationship itself to understand and bring healing to problems). I work from a warm, empathic standpoint in which I try to enter your shoes and understand your experiences as you do, not as others do. Insight is not the main goal (although that certainly happens), rather formative moments of feeling tuned into, deeply understood and emotionally held are the goal. These offer new emotional experiences that really catalyze psychological growth and healing. Benefits include increased: feelings of vitality and realness, hope, self-esteem, emotion regulation, etc.

Grief is a natural response to loss. It is the emotional response we feel when someone or something is no longer there. Grief can set in after the death of a loved one, divorce, lost relationship, employment, quitting an addiction, empty nest syndrome, death of an animal, etc… Therapy will provide education on the grieving process, teach healthy coping skills, and help you move forward while celebrating the positives.

Debra provides a three step personalized plan to help individuals get through the first stages of their particular loss. Using best practice and plan driven by the individual, clients find short and long term relief and hope for loss due to separation, divorce, job termination , breach of trust, and death. Equally important, Debra provides counseling to help individual work through grief and loss in ways that reduce the long term negative emotional affects of unresolved grief. For those who are dealing with multiple unresolved issues of loss from the past, counseling is available.

It is important to understand that working through grief is a journey. It is coming to terms with the loss of hopes, dreams, and visions of what we thought the future would bring. Working through grief takes time and permission to allow ourselves to feel what we feel and still move toward a resolution of hope and healing for the future. Let me help you discover ways of coping that are best suited to you and your pace during this time of healing. Giving yourself permission to move forward with life is not a dismissal of the loss of people, events, physical belongings, or plans that were most important to you… it is redefining what you envision for yourself and your future.

The client will benefit from Mary's many personal dealings with grief and loss. Being the primary caregiver for 5 different elders through the years, and experiencing many losses herself, gives Mary the insight needed to help those experiencing their own grief and loss. Everyone's journey is unique, but Mary listens with compassion and understanding.

As a therapist working with grief and loss, I offer a supportive role, staying present and creating a safe environment for individuals to work through their experiences with understanding and compassion. Grief & Loss encompasses many areas within a person's life. Whether a loss of a loved one, loss of one's health, or the loss of relationships. I assist people in processing their pain, gaining understanding and finding strength to move forward in a process that is individualized for their journey.

Your loved one will always be a part of you. The process of acceptance, and integration of their memory and the emotions around this, is a journey. Don't let anyone tell you that you should be over your loss in a set amount of time. We are all do grief differently. Our current culture is often not helpful with this process. Sometimes those closest to us are not helpful either. I have lost both parents, and 25 years ago suffered the loss of my brother. My family had no experience with healthy processing of grief. My experience informs my training and passion for wanting to be a place of compassion and empathy for you and your loved ones. Help is available now