Grief and Loss Counseling in Duluth, GA.

Grief and loss is unfortunately something that we must all go through. It is very painful to lose a loved one. However, as difficult as it is, grief can help us grow as people. Getting through the grief process well means that you can gain a deeper understanding about life and find more empathy toward others. My approach toward working with grief and loss is gentle and compassionate. I seek to help you work through the sadness and pain and get back to living again and finding new meaning in your life.

Are you experiencing the heartbreak of having a miscarriage? Are you and your spouse struggling with infertility and losing hope? You don't have to suffer through your painful experiences of loss alone. Being unable to conceive, or losing a child before or after birth, is one of the more heartbreaking, earth shattering things in life. The pain that you experience and the feelings and thoughts of failure can be overwhelming and it may feel as though life won't go on. I would be honored to walk with you on this journey of grief to a place of acceptance and healing.

Grief is the body and spirit's response to significant loss. Grief is involuntary and necessary. Grief is natural and the only way to heal the body and spirit is to go through it. Suppressing, denying, minimizing and avoiding the process that is grief will be rejected by the body and spirit. Grief is not a linear process and is unique to each person. I help by teaching ways to cope that will reduce the negative symptoms of grief, such as the difficulty with focus, concentration and memory, fatigue, and sadness, while respecting and honoring your process.

Grief is a process and the length of grief will vary. Grief needs to be respected to be addressed and we live in a society that wants people to "get over it" quickly. People also want to get out of pain as quickly as possible. Grieving and mourning needs to be faced and supported. When people get stuck in issues such as anger or even guilt, they often need assistance with addressing these issues. Therapy is beneficial with these issues. Depending on how the person died, there may be some trauma accompanying grief as well. At times addressing the trauma may be necessary.

I have advanced training and experience in helping people deal with traumatic loss and grief including loss through suicide, accident or needing to put a pet to sleep. My approach helps you reduce disturbing images and bad dreams related to the loss, reduce feelings of guilt, reduce a sense of hopelessness about your future, and reconnect to happy images and memories of the person or pet you lost. I have also helped people with job loss and relationship endings. I also incorporate a six step model for accommodating loss and EMDR Therapy to help reduce the pain of the grief process.

Understanding that what you are experiencing in your grief is normal can be an important part in healing. Friends and family may not know what to say, and in their desire to see you stop hurting, they may tell you that it's time to get over it and move on. With me, you will find that wherever you are in your grief process is accepted. While I will help you process your feelings so you may heal, I will not hurry you along faster than you are ready to go. I will never have the expectation that you will "get over" your loved one. Instead, I will help you to redefine your life without that person in it so that you can experience joy again.

The grief you experience following the loss of anyone close to you may cause the worst pain and highest stress of any life event. While each individual will experience grief in their own way, most are affected physically, emotionally and spiritually. Anxiety, guilt, anger, sadness and even shock are frequently experienced and often overwhelming emotions associated with grief. Grief counseling provides encouragement, comfort and support during one of life’s most difficult transitions. My approach will encourage you to progress at your own pace and in your own unique way. Grief counseling enables clients to accept their loss, resume normal functioning and move forward in peace.

Grief is a psychological reaction to loss. Losses come in many different forms, for example loss of a loved one, being severely injured in an accident, being diagnosed with a debilitating illness, breakup of a marital relationship, postpartum depression and experiences such as grieving over the loss of a job. During the course of my career I headed up the Rehabilitation Psychology Services in one of the largest hospitals in the U.S. where I had the opportunity to work with grief reactions in people experiencing illnesses and injuries ranging from cancer to strokes to severe mental illness and spinal cord injury.

Working through the stages of grief: Anger, Denial, Bargaining, Sadness, and Acceptance can be very helpful. Being able to share your emotions with another person throughout the process can be very healing. Using EMDR ( eye movement, desensitization,reprocessing) technique for the traumatic parts of your grief can also be very beneficial. I am here to help you through that process.

Therapeutic support for grief and loss, along with life transitions counseling can be beneficial to those who have experienced losses such as the death of a loved one, a miscarriage, a separation or divorce, a job loss, the loss of one's health, or the loss of something dear to them. With over 10 years of experience in Hospice, I offer the dedicated and compassionate professional support you need to help you navigate through the shock, sadness, and emptiness, and arrive at a place of peace and healing. I am also a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.

Although at some time we all experience loss and the grief that follows, there are few life experiences that are lonelier. Summer can gently walk with you through your experience of grief, and help you process your sadness and pain as you move through this difficult time. Although grief and depression are distinct, at times they feel the same, and sometimes loss can precipitate depression. If you feel that you are alone and stuck in your grief, it's probably time to ask for help.

If you can grieve well, you can live well. Loss is a normal part of life, so learning to grieve loss should be a normal part of life as well. If you struggle with grief and loss, I can help. More than likely, you feel “stuck” in your grief. You probably are. I believe getting stuck happens because our culture doesn’t value grieving. It actually teaches us to “move on.” You should be able to move on. The trick is how. I can help you navigate your grief in a way that will move you thorough it. The approach I use can also be used with any other troubling emotions. Contact me today for help with your grief. You don’t have to remain stuck any longer.

No safer place. No better time. Loss happens to all of us, at some points along our journey. The experience can be intensely painful and even alter the direction of our lives in negative and harmful ways. In times of grief we can either turn to God or away from Him. In His goodness, God will not waste your pain, and can turn your ashes into beauty. Let me help you grieve in a healthy manner, and move forward with hope in spite of what you have faced.