Grief and Loss Counselling in Toronto, ON.

Grief is one of the hardest things many of us ever experience. It is a trauma that is held in our body as well. It can be all consuming and painful in many ways. But if we try to ignore it, it simply gets louder, becoming depressive and anxiety like symptoms. Grief is intense because it needs the space to be processed. It may not go away completely, but there will be a life without it taking over. You will get through this and learn to manage it. We will get through it together.

Working with grief is one of the highest honours as a therapist. I personally find it to be the most delicate subject for most people. I think this is why it's so important to work with someone who deeply empathizes with the depth of the emotional pain and difficultly in coming to terms with the life altering change and loss. No, life will never be the same without your person, so we will learn how to continue living while honouring your lost loved one.

Grief is a normal and natural response to aloss, and losses can create a lot of pain and suffering. The grieving process is very individualized and personal such that everyone processes and experiences grief differently. Whereas some might feel better after a few weeks, others might need years to feel better. There is no set time. In all cases, it is important to cope and get support with grief aand not ignore it.

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 something we all face, and can be the most difficult and isolating time of your life. Whether facing the loss of a loved one, career, marriage, or any significant part of your life, we can help. We take a different approach with grief and loss than other types of therapy, as we help you process the loss and the feelings, rather than target any emotional changes.

Many forms of loss, transition, and shift in our lives can bring on feelings of grieving. Our society has not offered guidance and direction on how to manage these complex feelings. They can affect ones ability to feel connected to others, feel frozen in their loss, have difficulty with previously easy and average daily life tasks, be able to concentrate or think clearly, yearn for the lost person or situation, have difficulty moving on. I help people recover from many forms of loss and grief (relationship loss, death, new even positive life transitions, job/career loss, empty nest etc). My approach is guided by openness, warm regard and support.

Navigating grief or loss on your own can be overwhelming and disorienting, leaving you uncertain of how to move forward. Whether your grief is connected to the loss of a loved one, a relationship, a job, a home, or other significant life changes and transitions - no matter how long you have been grieving - I am here to offer individual therapy that embraces cultural humility and incorporates a wide range of therapeutic modalities. Contact me to book a session.

Because grief and loss can be so overwhelming that it feels like we are being swallowed whole by it, I approach this with compassion, empathy and sensitivity. Healing from such a heartbreak, can be crippling, I hold space where you can share anything that it coming up for you surrounding the grief and loss. This could include things left unfinished, things you wish you could have said or things you didn't mean. Without judgement, we will explore all this and more in a safe and supportive way.