Grief and Loss Counselling in Toronto, ON.

Clients come to me experiencing many forms of grief and loss- death, illness, job loss, a big move. Everyone experiences losses and grieves in their own unique way. Being able to experience your grief is immensely healthy and an vital to finding peace and healing. In therapy, you'll have the support you need to do just that, while simultaneously discovering the meaningfulness and sense of purpose you need to move forward.

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.

When one finds they are in debilitating grief the pain can override signals to try and be gentle with one self. This is a sign that your whole system is in shock adjusting to a new felt absence whether it is insight, loss of a close family member or friend or way of living that will not return. What can be frightening is that one is caught clearly remembering what was and feeling as if the past must be hiding but not gone. This is while trying to be present and cope with your daily challenges. Along with allowing you to be able to talk freely about your pain I use energy psychology exercises to help you cope with difficult emotions and guided imagery to help you find hope to imagine your future.

It is said that the pain of grief is just as much a part of life as the joy of love - it is the price we pay for love, the cost of commitment. Loss and grief can be triggered not only through the death of a loved one, but also by a sudden and unexpected change in life - a loss of relationship, a change in our career, a move, an illness - in short any situation that set us in a different path. Exploring how we are affected by and coping with loss and grief is important. Embracing the fact loss and grief impacts us, but also provides a pause for reflecting what is truly important and meaningful in our lives, is also the gift that loss and bereavement can help grow.

Clients who are experiencing grief and loss can benefit from a better understanding of how the deep emotions and feelings can support new growth and ways at looking at the world. By considering elements of the experience through memory, dreams, and reflections, great power and strength can be found. Grief and loss are normal and healthy states of being, as long as they don't overwhelm and debilitate, understanding them in the context of therapy will not only benefit the individual but those around them and generations to come.

The grief and loss that you can experience after the death of a loved one can be overwhelming and can make you feel cut off and isolated from the world as you have known it to be. You really have a need to talk about your loved one but often friends and family are limited in their ability to support you in this way. I can offer you a safe place in which you can talk in depth about your loved one, exploring and expressing feelings about your life with that person, what he or she meant to you, from the beginning of your relationship through to the end. I can also help you to begin to face what it means to move on without that person but still holding on to your memories.

While their is no 'solution' for grief and loss, many people benefit from psychotherapy to help them come to terms with an important loss. Whether it's supportive counselling during an expected death or help moving past a traumatic loss, I offer a comfortable and compassionate space in which to process the change while employing evidence-based treatments in my practice to help you get unstuck.

Dealing with grief requires addressing the many layers of life that grief touches. Facing the loss of a loved one can also bring up reminders of other losses we have experienced - some of which may still feel unresolved, and are now coming to the surface along with the acute pain that the current situation brings. Since grief is ultimately about loss of connection, my approach involves finding unique ways of "reconnecting" and healing the wounds that can be left behind when a painful loss has been experienced. I provide a safe and compassionate environment to assist in healing through grief and understanding all aspects of the grieving process as it evolves.

Loss is like the experience of having the air knocked out of us: it leaves us gasping and in shock. Whether through death,separation or divorce, loss of a career,death of a beloved pet or the moving away of a child for university: loss brings about a change to our relationships both within and outside of ourselves. It alters how we see ourselves and the roles we play for others. We need to give ourselves the opportunity to grieve and come to terms with what has changed. In allowing ourselves the time and space to say goodbye we create a new space within us, to hold our old relationships, and that is something that cannot be lost or taken away.

This is such a vulnerable and difficult time where great compassion and tenderness is required. My approach includes the need to feel and express our in-depth feelings in order to heal grief and loss. I offer a way to explore this compassionately and more thoroughly in order that clients can emerge from this time of difficulty more whole and healed.

Every person's grief and loss is unique. I will work with you to process that unique experience through discussion in sessions, and exercises that I will give you to process your thoughts and feelings. These exercises wll be specific to your loss. We will also embrace the healing power of time, and the notion of radical acceptance of what cannot be changed.

Grief is an inevitable part of life and never the same for any two people. Whatever the cause– the death of a loved one, a pet, a job, relationships, or children leaving home, grief counseling can help people cope with loss, change and grief. It provides a space for individuals to work through and process the complex emotions surrounding loss, without trying to change or run away from it, but to approach it with openness, compassion, and acceptance.

Life is fragile. At any moment our life can be turned upside down by the loss of a loved one. If you are suffering from a loss, I will support you and offer you a safe place in which to express your grief. My approach is based on an understanding of the dynamics of loss, combined with my own experience in handling loss in my life. Loss can take other forms as well...such as the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship, or the loss of health. Together we will discuss your pain and come to understand the impact your loss has had on you. We will then develop new ways to manage your loss so that you can move forward again.