Grief and Loss Counselling in Toronto, ON.

Losing a loved one can bring up a breadth of feelings that can often seem overwhelmingly difficult to manage. In addition to offering support and empathy, I will explore with you the experience of your loss. Together, we will bring to light the meaning of that loss, both in terms of your connection with your loved one, as well as its overall significance in your life and other relationships.

Grief is the most natural & healthy response to loss. The stronger/deeper one's attachment to a loved one, the more intensely one experiences grief. The so-called 5 steps to grieving are not nearly as cut & dry as the reality of grief & mourning. I do not rush the grieving process because there is no "typical" or "normal" timeframe to process profound loss. The dominant culture has a general intolerance of, and discomfort towards most kinds of emotional distress - most especially grief & loss. You will not experience this with me. My approach to grief is compassion, gentleness and curiosity. I want to learn about your loved one and walk alongside you as you process your loss.

Life isn't fair. You loved someone, and now they are gone. Or maybe you've lost a job you love... or become disabled. Your whole world has been turned upsde down. Sometimes it seems like there's not much point in going on, but that's not really the case. Let me help you move through the stages of grief without getting stuck. You deserve to have a wonderful second act. Let's write a great new script together!

My gentle, compassionate approach centres on offering practical and spiritual support to clients going through a grieving process, depending on the client’s particular needs and preferences. I find it is helpful and empowering for clients to understand the origins of the grief response so they’re better able to recognize and normalize it and support themselves as it arises, thus facilitating the healing process. In grief counselling, I draw from Nancy Reeves’ Energy Model as well as literature by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.

Grief and loss are normal, universal emotional experiences, but there is a tendency to get stuck in depression or anxiety rather than feel the sadness involved with loss. That’s understandable, because suffering is painful and difficult to bear alone. A therapist can support an individual with strategies for finding hope that a broken heart will mend. The aim is to build trust that, by allowing the expression of these feelings, the energy spent on suffering can be freed and reinvested back into creating a fulfilling life. As you do with a broken shoulder, you pay attention to the pain and attend to it in healthy ways while nature takes its course, allowing broken bones or hearts to heal.

Loss is an inevitable part of life. But when it's complicated by past hurts, triggers old wounds, or is compounded by unresolved feelings, the normal grieving process can get stunted and leave us struggling in a sea of emotions. By addressing both the present day loss and the implicit memories it has triggered, I help clients to not only move past the current pain, but to heal the underlying emotional wounds.

Experiencing loss and the grief that accompanies loss is a very personal experience that comes with challenges. I can help you with the difficulties that come with a loss, that include working towards acceptance, working through the pain, and adjusting to new life circumstances. I have experience working with clients who are mourning and who experience both normal and complicated grief. My goal is for you to work towards finding hope, regain interest in your life and adapt to a loss in a healthy way.

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.

Sadness is a feeling, Grieving is a process. We all feel sad at times but when we're faced with difficult circumstances and loss there's much more than sadness. Understanding the process of grieving in the context of your own life, give you the tools to create a solid base for a brighter future. We know we can grieve for loved ones who pass on, but we grieve throughout our lives for various paths un-travelled. The loss of a job, the end of a relationship, etc. Answering the question: "What now?" and turning our lives around in a constructive and courageous way, is my approach to this transformational work. You too can make it through this process.

Heart-wrenching pain. Loss. Longing. Do these words resonate with your experience of loss? I am here to help. Grief and loss is hard, but you don’t have to face it alone. In a safe space and at a pace that makes sense to you, you can take the opportunity to fully grapple with the emotions surrounding loss which can range from profound sadness to heart-pounding anger. We will work together to help you let go and move towards acceptance and peace. If you are ready to start this journey, I look forward to hearing from you.

We all must deal with grief sometime in our lives. However, there are times we lose someone dear to us and it feels as if we will never see the sun again. Processing our loss through therapy helps to make that dark journey less difficult and in time blur the sharp painful edges of pain. During therspy we will look at and restructure negative debilitating thoughts and replacing them with more constructive and positive ones. We never fully get over the loss, but we learn how to celebrate and cherish our missed loved ones.

Grief counseling helps people cope with grief and mourning following the loss of a loved one or due to major life changes that trigger feelings of grief (i.e. job loss or divorce). It provides a space for individuals to work through and process the complex emotions surrounding loss. Healthy grieving results in remembering the loss with a newfound sense of peace, rather than searing pain.

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.