Grief and Loss Counselling in Dartford, ON.

Grief is a natural process that feels completely unnatural and so unwanted. We often have thoughts or expectations around grief, mostly that we want it to go away. Therapy can help us process the different stages of grief, and move towards a space of acceptance and peace with our loss. The process of grief is not linear, and coming to terms and understanding our unique ways of grieving can be a path towards healing.

As someone who has experienced loss and studied loss, I understand how unique and different everyone's experience with it is. Grief can be one of the most complex and complicated of human experiences and can occur with or without a tangible loss. Using a person centered and strengths based foundation, I will hold space with you and aid you in navigating these complex feelings at your own pace.

This can be an extremely overwhelming time in your life. I will assist you with the grieving process through active listening, support, education where appropriate, and building acceptance Forms of grief and loss include: loss of a spouse, child, parent, friend, co-worker, physical injury, job loss, fertility issues, loss of identity, moving, separation, divorce, and aging.

Whether through a death or a break up, loss and the grieving process is extremely difficult. I’m sure you’ve heard of the stages of grieving (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance). But, they don’t always go in that order, and they often jump around in your time line. Your grieving process has no time limits, and every journey is unique. I will walk with you through that, at your pace. No matter which stage of grieving you’re in, reach out to schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if we are a good fit.

Grief and loss are viewed as inescapable features of normal human experience. Clients can expect a supportive approach which invites narration, catharsis, encourages creative commemorative rituals and molding new traditions, with a view to extracting the grains of wisdom and lessons for living that can be buried, yet found around a loss. Traumatic loss can be more complicated and clients may be helped by a process similar to the one outlined above, but including trauma re-processing techniques to help them shrink and cope with the worst, stickiest memories and distress of an extreme experience of loss. "Sometimes the only cure for grief, is grieving." Dana Reeve

Contemporary approaches to coping with grief and loss have shown that the path of acceptance and healing is not linear, but a winding road and unique process for every individual. Psychotherapy can help you along your path by providing an outlet for those challenging emotions and providing you with tools to help you cope. With personal experience, I will lend a hand in helping you to cope and integrate the challenges presented by the loss of a loved one or a significant relationship as you find your new normal. Those we lose remain in our hearts, and by remembering them with gratitude we can begin to heal.

As loss may be best described as the absence of something valuable, grief is the reaction to this absence. It permeates every area of our lives. The way we experience grief is personal and changes as we adapt to the loss. Feelings of guilt, disbelief, anger, yearning, and sorrow are often present. Going through the stages of grief is difficult. Together, we will explore the healing journey ensuring you are self-companionate while honouring the one’s you have lost and to explore and understand your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that are integrated into your bereavement process. Schedule a free consultation to see if we are a good fit.

With Gestalt therapy the five tasks of mourning, are supported: (1) To accept the reality of the loss, (2) To experience the pain of grief, (3) To adjust to the environment in which the deceased is missing, (4) To withdraw (some) emotional energy and reinvest it in another relationship, and (5) To find a place for and maintain a continuing bond with what we lose, however not in any specific order. A gestalt therapist supports the bereaved with an emphasis on a "loving authentic presence and communication that allows expression of EACH other’s personhood" so that feelings are honored and explored at the clients own pace. The here and now is emphasized and that is what leads to support/change

Are you experiencing a loss of sense of self, job loss, separation/divorce, unexpected transitions, death/loss of a loved one (pets included), challenging life transitions, retirement, or unexpected change. Grief comes in all forms. Together we can improve quality of life by learning how to cope with change and bring back joy & humour in difficult times.