Grief and Loss Counselling in Newmarket, ON.

Shyamala has an extremely sensitive and compassionate approach that allows individuals, couples and families to explore issues around grief and loss in a safe environment. In helping clients make sense of their experiences and emotions around loss, they are able to grieve in healthy ways. The process of grieving allows for fresh perspectives to emerge around how to move forward after losing someone or something of deep value.

You are feeling lost and lonely, as the result of the death of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, or the loss of a part of yourself due to an accident or chronic illness. Grief robs us of what we had, leaving us to feel despair. While we cannot bring back what has been lost, we can work together to understand your grief, in order to help you feel more functional again.

It is hard to believe the grief and anguish we suffer through grief and loss until you are experiencing it. Many well-wishers want to "get over it" and "move on." This truly is the time to have someone hold an empathic and sacred space for you to explore your grief with no judgments. Energy modalities help the process, they will not dissolve appropriate grief. They will help us gain a new perspective.

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

When we experience the loss of a loved one our life feels like it has been turned upside down. There is often a lot of support in the days and weeks surrounding the funeral, but slowly that support may subside. Melinda has over 15 years of experience in working with clients who face the pain of losing a spouse, child, friend, sibling, or parent. She also specializes in assisting clients that have experienced a miscarriage, pregnancy termination or stillbirth. Melinda provides a safe and caring environment where clients are supported in their grief.

Grief affects people in different ways. The kind of support you can get from friends and family may be limited if they are grieving too. You may find that you have to also have to make adjustments to your life at a time when you feel least able to do so. If you need to continue on in your responsibilities at work or in your role as a parent or spouse, therapy may provide you with valuable time-out for your own need to grieve & receive support. Much of grieving is about expressing emotion that may include anger, guilt, and remorse. My intention when I work with people who are grieving is to provide a safe place to work through these difficult feelings

In life we are faced with many losses. Grief is a deep, painful and primal emotion. The most profound experience is the death of a parent, spouse or child - made more difficult when they die young. A divorce or separation is another serious loss but the grief and sadness is complicated by the mix of fear, pain and anger. When your young adult children have left home your 'empty nest' may bring on sadness. If your aging parent develops dementia you experience a long slow grief. It is important not to bottle up your feelings of grief. Isolation makes matters worse. Talking to another person about your loss can help lift your mood and see more options.

If you have recently lost a loved one, first, I want to express my condolences. The death of a loved one or the loss of a significant relationship is the most stressful event we can experience. I can offer you support and practical strategies to navigate through the process of healing, help you adjust emotionally, and help you develop sound and lasting coping skills that will allow you to progress forward at your pace. I also provide therapeutic support for those who anticipate the loss of a loved one.

Grief and loss is a normal and appropriate response to the loss of a loved one, past trauma, the loss of a nurturing and loving childhood, deployment/unemployment as well as many other unwanted circumstances. Giving yourself the time and compassion to move through this necessary process allows you to emerge with a renewed sense of hope and empowerment to move into a new and empowered life.

People have a range of responses to the experience of grief or loss. Grief is a normal response. If you are experiencing a sense of loss, then you might want support or a sounding board to process this loss. Occasionally, a grief experience becomes a "complicated loss". It becomes difficult to re-engage life. You may want help in processing your loss. You might have questions about death, grieving, faith and/or spirituality. If you're ready to process some of these questions, please call.

Everyone experiences grief and loss differently. And everyone, at some point or another experiences the loss of an important person, animal, place or thing in their life. If you have come to a decision where you feel you are ready to express the feelings and thoughts that you have been going through, I am here to listen. My goal is to guide you through your unique process so that the pain is no longer unbearable. I wish to help you understand your relationship to the person, animal, job, etc. that you lost and work through any feelings that may be inhibiting your overall health and well-being.

I have personally suffered a great loss in my life, as a result, I feel that I am uniquely qualified to work with clients who have also suffered similar tragedies. Textbook grief therapy is not enough. My experience has helped me formulate a deep understanding of the particular fears, sadness, and problems one faces while dealing with a profound loss.

Most people will experience loss sometime in their life. Grief, which is a reaction to loss, can result in a confusing range of emotions such as anger, sadness, fear and or regret. All of these can be directly impacted and affected by the manner in which your loved one died. My professional experience includes working with people coming to terms with sudden death, prolonged illness resulting in death and families of suicide victims. I honor the fact that the experience of grief as well as the time frame for the grieving process is unique for each person.

Grief brings the hardest combination of all feelings - despair, anger, fear and love. It can right leave us with unmanagable pain, feeling disoriented and questioning everything. Sometimes it feels too painful to step back into the world that dares to carry on as if nothing happened. Sometimes we need someone to remind us that it is a place we are passing through and not a destination. We offer gentle guidance and strong support through grief. We work with you find ways to make sense of you loss, learn to manage your feelings in new ways and find your way back into life again.