Grief and Loss Counseling in South Seattle, WA.

Grieving and recovering from the Loss of a beloved companion can be difficult and traumatic. Many people are surprised and confused when they are caught off guard at the intensity of their emotions regarding the loss of a loved one. Sometimes friends and family offer all of the care you need, but if you need more help and support, working with therapist can give you the additional warmth and nurturing care you need to move through your grief. I specialize in helping grieving clients to process their grief, so they can find peace again.

Grief and loss is, unfortunately, a normal part of living. There is no single "correct" way to grieve: different cultures and even individuals from the same culture grieve differently. The only consistent feature is that grief takes time. The most effective thing anyone can do for someone grieving is to be there—to listen, to empathize, to walk along with the grief. There is no "fixing" grief. But counseling can help prevent normal grief from developing into major depression or other mental health conditions.

At Bluestone Psychological Services, you will find Dr. Bill Roedel and Randie Clark, LMHC, each of whom have had extensive and yet unique training in helping people cope with grief and loss. In a way that honors what has been lost, each will help you express all that has changed and figure out how to shape your life in a way that respects and maintains your connection with what is missing as well as build a life filled with meaning as you go forward.

Is grief making it difficult to function in daily life, leaving you unable to enjoy living? Are you feeling overwhelmed by excessive bitterness, guilt or anger? Do you find yourself withdrawing from friends and family with near constant feelings of despair? If you find you answered yes to several or all of these questions, your grief may have evolved into clinical depression and it may be time to seek help. Be gentle with yourself, knowing there is no right or wrong way to grieve and all of your feelings are normal, even if it feels like you're going crazy. I will help you to understand what is happening to you and walk beside you as you move through your very personal grieving process.

I provide a safe and compassionate container for the healing expression of grief and loss. I support your journey to clear feelings and unresolved relational issues that can get you stuck. Gently, we face the fears you may be feeling around your own life and moving forward. Your grief and loss can shift from an overwhelming, debilitating and soul-crushing, ever-present feeling to something clean, loving, bitter-sweet, slowly fading into the background. Thus, opening space for you, for life, for joy to show up, again.

Many times surprising emotions come up after a loss. Often much guilt, regret, anger and blame contribute to thoughts of what we could or should have done differently. These thoughts keep taking up space in the mind and stop us from processing and coming to terms with loss. I help clients during this difficult time by listening empathetically and using methods that help clients grieve in a healthy productive way. I help client find self-compassion, forgiveness and hope during this time time of adjustment.

Are you going through a break-up, separation, or divorce? Do you need help through this difficult period? I provide a safe, warm, and understanding space for you to go through the grief and healing process needed to recovery from any loss you may be experiencing. Some aspects of loss include: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. I will help guide you through the stages and help you get unstuck so that you can find the peace you want.

I have learned that grief and loss are experienced very uniquely from client to client. The stages of grief are not necessarily experienced linearly. Working through grief and loss is not so much about recovery as it is about finding ways to incorporate the experience into a new version of yourself. There are ways to be proactive in processing grief and tools available that can help you through this process.

We examine the issues surrounding your grief and or loss, and then look at ways you can gain some healing. Much of this is through insight, reframing, exercises by way of homework, and other ideas that come from you. The process of moving through grief and loss takes time, and its important to be compassionate with yourself and allow yourself experience the span of emotions that are likely to occur.

You do not need to be alone with your grief. Together we can chart a path that will greatly reduce your pain and help you naturally process emotion, thought, and physical sensations that may be held in your body and mind. Although loss is a part of life, when we are not able to fully process these experiences we can become stuck and unable to create joyful relationships or feel happy in our daily lives. Feeling bad, angry, numb, or depressed can be a symptom of being stuck in the grieving process. Our society expects us to "get over it" when we actually need much longer to come to a place of acceptance. I provide a compassionate healing space to resolve your losses and return to life.

Death of a loved one or loss of something significant can creep up in ways you hadn't expected. Together, you and I look at your situation with compassionate presence to help you explore your feelings and allow you deeper freedom to get through this difficult time. Finding the right fit with a counselor is of utmost importance. For that reason, I view our first few sessions as a period for us to get to know one another. I

There is no right way too grieve, no right amount of time to do it in, and no way of avoiding it. It is common for a person to withdraw from their friends and family, feel overwhelmed and helpless to the intense waves of emotions—sadness, anger, fear, anxiety, and numbness. When the emotional intensity becomes too much, we don’t seem to be able to move forward with life. I offer grief therapy to help you find ways to cope with grief and mourning following the death of loved ones, pregnancy loss, or the mourning that often comes along with major life changes.

Grief and loss effects every one at some point in their life. At times when grief or loss become so great that they feel unmanageable, it is necessary to reach out to others. Better yet is reaching out to professionals who have training and experience helping individuals process their grief in a safe, structured, and effective manner. Please don't feel as if you have to go through this time of grief and loss alone. There is hope! You just need to make the first, often difficult step of reaching out for help. Please don't hesitate to contact me.