Grief and Loss Counselling in Clarington, ON.

When a person has experienced the loss of someone or something significant, it is not uncommon for them to experience overwhelming feelings of sadness, a sense of confusion or "being at a loss", as well as difficulty experiencing happiness and joy. At New Roots Therapy, we acknowledge that these feelings - as well as many others - may emerge for you as you move through your own experience of grief and loss. We believe that, in working with grief and loss, it is not just about "moving past" or "letting go". Rather, our hope is to honour the uniqueness of your experience and to help you connect your feelings of grief to the importance of the lost relationship on your life.

When we lose someone we love, our relationship with them doesn’t need to end. Your loved one is still very much a part of life. Grief counselling can give you a safe place to talk about your loved one, any regrets you are holding on to and resolve any guilt you may be feeling. Grief counseling can help you with “stuck points” and help you oscillate between sorrow and function.

Feeling grief and loss is unique to each person, but it is felt more or less as a form of depression. Grief and loss is felt not just from the death of a loved one, but also from divorce and relationship losses. I find that clients often begin to feel isolated in their grief, relationships become affected, and moving through daily activities can feel overwhelming. As a Specialist in Depression, I help my clients move through the stages of loss, and I help them to feel pleasure and hope in their daily lives, rebuilding self-esteem and self-worth. I offer kindness and support, and my clients often comment that they "feel lighter" and "hopeful" after each session.

Grief, loss, and bereavement, whether it is the passing of a loved one, the end of a career, or the falling-apart of a relationship are all similar: we are losing or have lost an important part of our lives. Understanding the emotions, feelings, and behaviours we have when we experience grief and bereavement is part of helping us accept what has occurred, why we feel the way that we are feeling, and what is next for us. In working with clients on grief, loss, and bereavement it is important to understand that the way we process these experiences is unique to each person, and the pillar of respect is paramount.

Often the loss of a loved one, pet, item, or aspect of a person can lead to intense feelings of grief. At times when the loss is surrounded by traumatic events this grief becomes complicated. Clients will often find that reprocessing these traumatic moments that led to the loss will help them be able to cope with any feelings that come up. They may find that their memories are no longer haunted by feelings of anxiety, extreme sadness, or loss of hope.

If you have lost someone close to you through death, relocation or the end of a relationship, and feel isolated and lonely, it takes time and support to gently move forward in life. If you are shy or feel anxiety in social situations it can be hard to reach out for help and create the supportive relationships you need. I can help you move forward, gain a new sense of self worth, and begin to create meaningful nurturing social connections.

Grieving the loss of a loved one or facing life's upheavals alone can be overwhelming. But you're not alone. I offer personalized support and guidance tailored to your unique journey toward healing. With a warm and accepting environment, we'll explore your grief, develop coping strategies, and find moments of hope amidst the pain. Ready to begin your healing journey? Let's walk this path together."

My approach to grief examines how we can come to a place of acceptance without the secondary grief we often experience when we feel forced to 'let go'. I'm interested in how we can honour the loss, allowing it to move forward with you, building a new relationship between the past and present. In my work with you we will explore your unique experience of grief.

At some point in life, everyone will experience grief and loss. Grief is a normal response to a final disconnection from something or someone important to us. While grief is a common human experience, we will all experience loss in very different ways. It may occur following the loss of a pet, job, relationship, or loved one. Together, we will explore your grief to develop an understanding of what your loss means to you, and how it has impacted you. Together, we will explore how you can effectively experience and express your grief in a way that makes sense for you - there are no rules or timelines when it comes to grief.

Grief is a potential reaction to a loss of any kind whether through death, divorce, abandonment, separation, job loss, illness, disease diagnosis, kids leaving home, etc. Feelings of anger, resentment, shame, confusion, isolation or abandonment can result. Friends and family may not know what to say or how to provide support. A trained professional, who is profoundly sympathetic, respectful and empathetic, with the skills required to help one navigate through this difficult time, can be critical in helping one regain equilibrium.

My empathetic approach enables me to form a connection with the client seeking recovery from grief. Through patient listening, I am able to create a safe place in therapy for the client, where they can share, question the value of their experiences, or seek reassurance about the future. As we continue in dialogue, the client processes the traumatic memories and builds the capacity to move forward within their new reality.

In my practice you will find a safe place to talk about and work through pain, and the feelings of sadness, confusion, guilt, shame and anger that often accompany the experience of grief and loss. Moving through grief and loss is your personal journey that takes time and is experienced uniquely from your own perspective. I provide therapy, counselling and and support for people who have lost a loved one such as a family member, friend or colleague whether through death or the ending of a relationship, those who have lost an important pet or animal companion or people who have experienced a loss that includes a loss of a job or personal identity.

Have you found yourself in deep sadness from a recent loss or that may be many years old and perhaps you are only recently recognizing? People were designed to reach out to someone when they are grieving and have had a loss. Unfortunately in our modern world, we are expected to be brief about our losses, to shrug them off and move on. You don't have to suffer alone. I will support you to more fully allow yourself to experience this loss and sadness in safety so that you can truly process the pain. Please contact me for help.

During the grieving process, people often face various challenges, whether they're intense emotions, physical symptoms, or self-care/self-compassion. We provide a safe space for individuals to process their emotions, navigate through the stages of grief, and to help them find healthy coping mechanisms. Therapy can help individuals find support, gain insight, and develop resilience during these difficult times.

Drawing upon the work of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross ("On Death & Dying" and "On Grief and Grieving"), I support people in their grieving journey, assessing the challenges and also the strengths each person has to most effectively adjust to loss and develop effective coping strategies. Ultimately, finding ways to carry this loss and grief in the most graceful way possible is the goal to be attained. Courage and faith along with a growing spiritual understanding and openness contribute greatly to the success of this work.

Our team has specialized training in working with grief and loss. By providing a supportive and attuned space, we're here to help you during this painful and confusing time. We focus on helping you process grief at your speed, and to develop healthy coping strategies. There can be a lot of mixed messages, and expectations at this time, and we're here to help you work through them and grow

Grief comes with many emotions whether it be sadness, relief, anger, anxiety, etc. During therapy, we will discuss ways to accept and cope with these feelings so they are not so overwhelming in your day-to-day living. We will also explore what the value of the loss is to you, and discuss ways of honoring this so you can move forward with an accepting and fulfilling life.

If you are looking at this page chances are you have lost somebody or something you hold dear to your heart. If so, I am glad you are reaching out; it will be my pleasure support you, hold you, and guide you though this process until you can overcome it. Loss is a part of life. We can grieve for a variety of reasons; we may lose a job, a loved one, we may fail to achieve a goal, we may face infertility, or lose the health we used to have. Even though the grieving process is never fun when it debilitates your ability carry a normal life Grief Therapy becomes necessary. We'll work according to your personality including approaches such as psychoeducation, CBT, mindfulness and spirituality .