Grief, Loss, and Bereavement Counseling
The experience of loss is often unbearable. It can tear a hole in our heart, make our world feel unfamiliar and unsafe, and create fissures in our relationships. You might not be able to see a path forward. I am here to join you in this unfathomable journey with grief.
You may notice yourself retreating from life, feeling unable to tolerate the waves of emotion that come crashing over you, or perhaps you find yourself busying yourself with work or other distractions to get a break from the pain. Over time, friends and family might check in with you less often, and maybe you start to keep your suffering to yourself to avoid feeling like a burden on the people you love. You might be asking yourself, “Can I survive this? Am I going to feel this way forever?”
Grief Therapy can help you…
feel more capable of experiencing and honoring the wild, complex, and raw emotions that arise before, during, and after loss
discover new and creative ways to stay emotionally or spiritually connected to the person, place, or thing you’ve lost
prepare for and process the grief of an impending loss
discuss and process conflict, estrangement, or relational wounding that was left unfinished due to the loss
process the ways loss creates ripples of change in your life
explore how to best communicate your needs and boundaries to those who may not be able to understand or relate to your loss
deepen your awareness of how culture and spirituality inform your experience of loss
create and establish rituals to honor your grief and carry forward the legacy of your beloved
The world often tells us we must move on or let go after loss. This painful advice misses the truth that we grieve because we love. To “move on” would be to abandon our love.
Your connection to your loss is deeply important and deserves time and space to be nourished. Grief therapy or bereavement therapy provides an open, non-judgemental space to explore your relationship to the person, place, or thing you’ve lost and decide how you want to carry forward the memories and legacies of your loss or loved one.
There are many types of loss you may seek grief counseling for:
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The death of a loved one can feel catastrophic. This may include the loss of a parent, family member, child, intimate partner or spouse, or other important person in your life.
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You may be grieving the impending loss of a person, the loss of romantic relationship, home, friendship, or job. This type of loss is often less acknowledged, and therefore deeply isolating. Grief therapy can provide support and strategies for navigating this type of grief with more ease.
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Disenfranchised grief refers to any grief that goes unacknowledged or unvalidated by social norms. This happens when the relationship between the griever and the deceased is not recognized, the death or loss is not recognized, and/or the griever's ability to grieve is not recognized. Examples of this type of grief include pet loss, estrangement from someone you love, loss of health, loss due to incarceration, relocation, and more.
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Collective, or community, grief, is present when a group of people experience a shared loss or change. This can be caused by a widespread tragedy, such as a natural disaster, war, or the death of an important leader. The loss of the health of our climate/planet is a painful type of grief we all share. Collective grief can make you feel powerless, hopeless, or disconnected from the world.
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Traumatic grief is the intersection of bereavement and trauma. It includes bereavement due to sudden and unexpected death, death after prolonged suffering, multiple cumulative deaths, and death of a child at any age and from any cause. It also includes the death of a loved one from an accident in which your life was threatened as well. This type of grief is deeply wounding, and professional grief counseling is strongly reccommended.