Grief and Loss Counseling in George Mason, VA.

Loss is inevitable. It is the flip side of love and the greatest pain we know. Hearts can break and hearts can heal. We must first accept ALL feelings. We can cultivate gratitude for the gifts our loved one gave us. Sometimes it is also important to acknowledge and learn from the mistakes of the one we have lost., the ways they may have caused pain to themselves and others. If the person has been a large part of our daily living, it is as if we need to recreate our lives bringing new resources into the emptiness. The waves of extreme pain become less frequent with time. The person's memory remains with us, and their gifts to us can inspire those very strengths in ourselves.

Grief encompasses a broad range of feelings and behaviors that are common after a loss. Sadness is the most common feeling . It is common and expected to experience sadness if you have lost someone you love. One of the most important factors in healing is having support. Even if you are not normally comfortable talking about your feelings under normal circumstance, it is important to have some place where you can express them when your grieving. We can help you gain an understanding of your feelings and provide you coping strategies for dealing with the loss.

I help my clients process many kinds of loss, both real (death, separation, miscarriage) and ambiguous (dementia, missing persons, addictions), through their relationships and context. My training as a couple and family therapist helps me think about grief and loss through the lens of family stress. Empathic listening helps me understand your experience, and we work together to heal your grief and sadness at your own pace.

Grief & Loss For those who grieve, I offer support and encouragement for healing from their loss. Working through shock, numbness, denial, and disbelief is common to the grieving process, as well as emotions such as anger, guilt, and depression that may emerge. I support my clients in working through their grief, which helps them avoid physical or psychological symptoms. Readjustment and transformation develop gradually, as a new life emerges.

Everyone faces grief and loss, whether it’s over a romantic relationship or a job ending, a physical health problem, or the death of a loved one. We offer support to face grief, understand it, follow the innate mourning process, and integrate the change into life and your sense of self. We offer a safe place to explore the range of emotions which accompany loss, which really matters when friends and family don’t know how to stay with and witness the pain and sorrow. Grieving has its own demands and pace, and we will stay with you through it.

Learn how to work with you grief due to loss. Understand that this is your journey to go through in the best way for yourself. Acquire emotional support; develop awareness and understanding; and utilize techniques that help you get through your time of sorrow in your own time. There is no defined time for grieving; only and acknowledgement and learning of how to live with it.