Grief and Loss Counselling in Stittsville, ON.

Have you lost a partner, someone important in your life or ended an important relationship. While loss can be painful, you should not feel an endless sense of despair. Grief and loss of a loved one is a journey that can be overwhelming. Allow yourself time to grieve but ensure that you are taking care of yourself. Counselling may be a way to care for yourself as you adjust to this new reality. Together we can help you adapt to these losses and help you to move forward while honouring your loss.

How individuals and families cope with dying, death, grief, loss, and bereavement is unique to each individual. Those who are bereaved experience grief, or a person's response or reaction to loss, which encompasses physical, psychological, social, and spiritual components. Historically, many grief counselors and grief therapists have chosen to follow the popular "grief counseling theory of the time." However, in the twenty-first century there are constantly changing theories regarding grief and loss, and new challenges and questions raised by researchers, clinicians, and the bereaved themselves regarding what is or is not helpful during the bereavement process.

Grieving and Loss are life and living issues that are part of the normal challenges we face in our lifetime. The often irrational and overwhelming thoughts, feelings and behaviors associated with them can sometimes frighten and even paralyze us when they occur. In a supportive and empathic environment I help people demystify and understand these challenges and events so they can cope again.

Feelings of grief and loss are as unique as those experiencing them. Counselling support is similarly tailored to meet the unique needs and goals of the client. One may experience feelings of grief following the loss of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, the loss of a dream, or the loss of a career; while these situations can feel overwhelming, one does not have to move through this alone.

Grief and Loss is a challenging area for many people because it is so unique to each person. I believe that the work centers around self-compassion where individuals learn to be kinder to themselves. Furthermore, I will collaborate with you to build an Activity Plan to ensure you continue to find purpose in your daily life. I will also teach you strategies that will help you improve your ability to focus on the present moment. Together we will find the best support plan to allow you to grieve while continuing to live a meaningful life!

By providing a safe, nonjudgmental space to explore grief, loss, and the impact they have on your life, we can come together to heal and find a way through the pain. Healing is not about forgetting the loss but of honoring it as we move forward in life while removing the hurt and sadness that moves with it. Through therapy we will develop a secure, nonjudgmental space for you to open up about your loss and work through the feelings that come with it.

I have worked extensively with the medically ill including Cancer patients. To adjust to a chronic illness is to grieve the loss of the healthy self and all that entails; to grieve the loss of a relationship; our work; anything of importance to us is to face pain of loss and move through it's tasks. I work in various models including relational, experiential, psycho-dynamic, Ego-State and Attachment based models to provide a safe, empathic environment in which my clients can resolve their losses.

Grieving is the intense pining or yearning for the loss of anything; for example it could be a job, a particular time, your health, an object or a person. One can feel disbelief, shock, fear, anger, frustration, sadness, abandoned, hopeless, shame and/or humiliation. How is the loss affecting you? Any loss can be traumatic, life altering and difficult to cope with. The pain may never completely go away but it can be managed in a healthy way.

Finding our way through a painful loss and the associated grief can be a most difficult and excruciating journey for any of us to encounter. However, it is with the intention of gently guiding clients back on the road to recovery. Through gaining insight and courageously tackling the loss both willingly and openly has proven beneficial. Ultimately allowing themselves to profoundly heal.

Grief and loss is hard, it is difficult and we all experience it in many phases of our life span. There is no right or wrong in grieving or any length of time however, there is life and hope after! It is learning to accept the grief, feel it and then move on with either with professional help or your own path to moving forward with your life.

Grief and loss are parts of life, and yet, everyone grieves in their own way. Grief can be complicated by other conditions, most notably depression. The person’s level of dependency on the departed can also cause complications. The grieving process often involves many difficult and complicated emotions. Yet joy, contentment, and humour do not have to be a lost memory. I work with you to help you recover from grief and loss and find your way back to feeling joyful again.

I work extensively with clients dealing with grief and loss. Co-existing with loss in our lives can feel like an overwhelmingly difficult task. Losses can profoundly affect not only our daily functioning, but also our relationships, our work life, and our health. Therapeutic work with clients focuses on acknowledging the impact of loss, exploring choices around how to live through the experience of loss, developing healthy ways to cope, and honoring that journey. I work creatively with clients to help them find their own personal ways of living that process.

The pain of grief can truly be lessened by working with a counsellor. Talking about the loss and how it has affected you will help you feel the emotions, which helps them to pass through you. It is also helpful to have a professional inform you on what to expect when grieving, what types of symptoms are related to the grief, and specific approaches to comfort yourself.