Grief and Loss Counselling in Devon, AB.

Grieving a loss can feel overwhelming and sometimes it feels like the pain will never end. Losses are experienced uniquely for each individual and reactions can greatly vary. Having a compassionate person to talk and share with makes a difference. Processing your feelings enables you to work through the stages of grief. As you deal with pain, guilt, anger and overwhelm you move from surviving to thriving again.

Loss can happen at any point in life. The struggle can be particularly damaging when faced with multiple losses through fertility challenges. Loss can be traumatic and swept under the carpet. Your story is important, your feelings are important and I will create a safe place for you to explore your loss and move towards healing. Your response to your own feelings of loss is unique to you. There is no right or wrong. You are accepted for who you are and where you are at in your own process.

When we suffer a loss our tendency is to cling to the person or thing that was lost. Grief is the process of letting go. Through grief therapy you will be able to find the courage to embrace the inevitable pain and to transform the emptiness into a renewed affirmation of yourself. The pain needs to be fully experienced and expressed in a supportive environment. It is a normal reflection of our love for the one we have lost.

Grief and loss are experiences that we all experience at some point in our lives. However, we all experience the grieving process in our own way. I understand that grief is a very personal process, and I respect that there are many healthy views about what loss means in our lives. If you are finding grief is making it difficult for you to function day to day, I can help. Together we will explore how loss has impacted your life and process this experience in a way that brings insight and understanding that will allow you to move forward. Our goal is not to make a loss a happy memory, nor a memory we forget about, but an experience we are truly at peace with.

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.

As cliche as it sounds healing from grief takes time. In fact my philosophy is that you do not really heal from grief. You will always feel the hurt from the loss of the loved one, and it is that hurt that keeps you connected to them. We are not going to try and get rid of your heartache, but rather help you manage and appreciate the heartache that you have in a more optimistic positive manner.

[I OFFER VIDEO SESSIONS THROUGHOUT ALBERTA AND ONTARIO]. You are hurting now, and I understand that. I have been a psychologist since 1986 with plenty of hard-earned wisdom. I too have experienced grief and loss many times in my life. I can help. Let us chat about the pain you are feeling now. Book with me right now by going to https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14249112

Grief is a natural response to loss. You are probably feeling a variety of unpleasant emotions, and you might be experiencing them for different reasons - maybe a loved one passed away, a relationship ended, or you lost your job. Everyone grieves differently-there is no correct way. I'm here to listen and support as you continue your journey when faced with loss.

Losses can effect individuals in a variety of ways. Within a cleint-centered counselling approach I provide individuals with a safe and non-judgemental environment in which they can explore their feelings and process various types of losses and grief as well as complicated grief. I assist individuals in adjusting to life after loss and in coping with a variety of changes that can occur within oneself and in relationship with others around them.

Grief is a natural process that's painful, personal, and normal. Grief allows a person to come to terms with a significant loss, and make sense of their new reality without a loved one. I can help those who are experiencing complicated grief. Typically, the goals of my therapy for complicated grief revolve around overcoming obstacles to the normal grieving process, and to coming to terms with the loss.

Grief is a natural and universal reaction to events that occur in our lives. Still, the grieving process can be hard to navigate alone. If you are experiencing grief for the loss of a loved one, or if you would like support in processing loss of a different kind, then you can benefit from supportive counselling with me. Psychotherapy for grief and loss provides you with the opportunity to honour the feelings you are experiencing. I will support and guide you to find peace and joy in your own life in a way that values and honours your loss. Grief is natural. We do not need to run from it. I offer you the support and guidance to grieve without being overwhelmed by your loss.

Loss can be the most painful thing we as humans can experience. The finality of loss and the pain of grieving often take a toll on our mental health. Grief is not just an emotion we experience, it is a physiological process our body goes through after a significant loss. Grief and loss also does not just occur from experiencing the death of someone we care about. Grief is not always about a negative loss. Grief can occur anytime there is a transition in life where we have to let go of something familiar. Even positive experiences like having a child can lead to feelings of grief and loss from the life we had before or how we have changed how we now define ourselves.

Experiencing the loss of a loved one can leave you with compounded and confusing emotions. In therapy I can help you make sense of these emotions, grieve in healthy ways, and work through the pain in a way that minimizes suffering. We can work together to ensure healthy coping and healing and to bring you towards a new future, in spite of the loss of some of your dreams.

Loss and grief come in many forms. Grieving is a personal experience. I have worked with clients experiencing loss of a loved one including a pet companion, loss of functioning/mobility, employment loss including retirement, and relocation/joining a new country. My approach integrates compassion, hope, renewal, and ways to integrate the loss. In my work and research in this area, moving forward from loss combines honouring the past while actively finding new ways to engage in the present.

The loss of a loved one, whether a spouse, friend, relative or pet, is a tough experience to deal with, and grief is expected and normal in such situations. I can work with you to process the grief that you are experiencing, and together we will work towards finding a stronger person within you, who is able to grieve and accept the loss, and also find ways to adjust to the changes that the loss had in your life.

Grief is like having a broken rib. You may look fine on the outside, but there is massive pain on the inside. It hurts to move, sometimes it hurts to even breathe. Everyone experiences grief differently, but a commonality is that grieving alone makes it harder to heal. We are social beings and we feel intense grief when we loose someone we love. You are meant to be seen, heard and supported by others through grief. Sadness needs to be processed and there is no quick fix (I wish it was easier). If we can find meaning in the midst of loss it provides something to hold onto as you navigate your pain, and learn to move forward.

Feelings of loss and grief come up for different reasons. You may have lost a loved one, a relationship or even a change in your physical functioning due to accidents or illness. Whatever the reason, therapy can help in the grieving process. It gives you the space to acknowledge your loss, what it meant to you as well as finding new ways to ascribe meaning in your life.

Grief is often disowned and punished. This means that when grief does arise it can be extra painful because of years of being pushed away. Psychotherapy can be a place to acknowledge and rediscover our grief and explore it. As an inevitable part of life it is important to connect to our need to grieve. By doing this we heal and rediscover intimacy. Visit my website at www.prairieowlpsychology.ca from more details.

I help clients successfully move through the stages of grief at their own pace. My goal in working with grieving individuals is to help them manage the emotions and turmoil that can accompany loss and to move on with their lives while honouring lost loved ones. Grief responses may range from being relatively straight forward to complicated. Each client's unique experience will be validated and treated as such.

Standard Grief: Sadness directly related to a loss. Complex Grief: Sadness related to a loss. Includes additional meanings and associated emotions as in: Regret – “I am a horrible person” Anger – “The universe took something too soon” Hopelessness – “ My life has not meaning now” Fear – “I am at risk of losing more” Helpless – “I am incapable- I cannot go on” Complex grief is grieving that get stuck because of the complicating meaning the trauma of loss has triggered. In order to treat complex grief, we remove the LBs associated with the loss, as shown above, and this lets the standard grief progress through the regular stages of grief, to arrive at a healthy perspective on the loss.

We are social beings. When we suffer loss or grief, we benefit from talking with others about our feelings. Sometimes the purpose is simply to purge, to be listened to while in the depth of our pain. Other times we need to address the unhelpful - even harmful - things we tell ourselves while suffering grief and loss. Regardless, working through grief involves experiencing pain, and being patient with ourselves as well as the recovery process. I like to believe that clients have a safe place in me to engage it.

Grief and bereavement are very normal responses to loss. However, the experience of grief and bereavement can be extremely difficult and feel paralyzing or overwhelming. Whether you have lost a loved one, a beloved pet, or have experienced a change in ability or circumstance, I can help you explore loss, learn tools to process grief, and build a plan for coping.

The process of coping with any deep emotional loss takes time. Men and women deal with the tragedy of loss in very different ways - our elderly population also experience loss in a way that is very unique to their age and life experiences. Grief and loss will be an aspect of every person’s life at some point. We all cope with these challenges in unique ways. Understanding the stages of grief and how they impact us individually is the first step in managing any loss. And learning effective ways of coping with that pain is critical when we are trying to make our lives functional again.

I would like to be your support system in your grief journey by giving you a safe and judgement free environment, where you will be able to experience emotional and physical support. Together, we will start your healing process through sharing your story, increasing your understanding of the situation, finding new coping skills, working on your hope...

The death of a loved one shakes us to our core. Some of the questions people ask are how to move on and how to let go without dishonouring the love for the one who has died. Loss is most obviously of a person but it can be a pet a relationship, a job or a sense of a changing identity or position in the world. This is a time when our spiritual and religious values can help us or perhaps a time to dig deeper into ones self. I am able to offer a deeper perspective on death and dying and help you find meaning in profound loss. I am personally familiar with personal loss so that my help is based on real life experience.