Therapy for Grief & Loss
Walking with you when your world has completely changed.
You are carrying the burden of grief and there is no way to fix what has been lost.
You have experienced a loss and the whole world feels different. Grief is a powerful experience that can shake our very foundation. It is something that touches every part of who we are - mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Though it is something that everyone will experience at some point in our lives, it is also uniquely personal and no two grief experiences look exactly the same.
Maybe you lost someone who you lived with and interacted with daily and now each day is filled with reminders of the loss. Perhaps the relationship was strained but they were still important to you and now your mind is full of the “what ifs'' of a relationship that could have been. Or you might have experienced a miscarriage and are grieving a child you never fully got to know. You may have been expecting the loss or maybe it happened unexpectedly. Or possibly the person you love is still physically present but slipping away from you due to dementia or another chronic disease. It might even be that the loss was not that of a person but of a beloved pet who was your daily companion and friend.
Whatever the story of your loss, your pain is real and it is valid.
Grief can be a lonely journey but that does not mean you have to be alone.
There is no “right” way to grieve and the grief process looks different for everyone. Grief therapy is a space for you to share your story, to have someone sit in the pain and messiness with you, and to work together to find out what it looks like for you to live fully in a life touched by grief.
It is often said that we move on from grief. I disagree. Instead, grief is something that is forever with us, just as the love that we had for that person will always be a part of us. That being said, the way that we experience grief changes over time.
When grieving you might be experiencing:
A changed outlook or perspective on the world
Lack of energy, interest, or numbness
Increased worry, anxiety, or anger
Deep sadness or depression
Disengaging, withdrawing, or having trouble connecting with others or things you used to enjoy
Spiritual impacts such as anger at God, questioning your faith/spirituality, or looking for a higher meaning
Difficulties concentrating or increased distractibility
Isolation and loss of connections
Physical pain or distress
Avoidance of reminders of your loss or inability to focus on things other than the loss
Guilt or self-blame
Pretending to be okay to support others
Confusion and uncertainty about your future
Grief therapy can help you to process these impacts of grief in a caring, and supportive environment. I am here to walk beside you, to be a compassionate witness to your journey, and to help you discover what it means to live a life that has space for grief and space for new meaning and connection, at the same time.
Provide you with a safe space that is just yours (you don’t have to take care of anyone else) to share your emotions and experiences
Guide you in taking steps towards living life with grief - either in the day to day or focused on the bigger picture
Support you in wrestling with hard to answer questions or doubts that you may have
Identify strategies to help you get through the hard or overwhelming moments of grief
Find the right timing for your journey in the grieving process and to understand your needs
Therapy for Grief & Loss can:
“There are losses that rearrange the world. Deaths that change the way you see everything, grief that tears everything down. Pain that transports you to an entirely different universe, even while everyone else thinks nothing has really changed.” -Megan Devine
Frequently Asked Questions about Therapy for Grief and Loss
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Grief is an experience that is completely unique to each individual person and is dependent upon who we are, our experiences in life, our cultures, and our relationship with the person we have lost. There is no one right way to grieve. In our work together, I will not tell you how to grieve but instead will be there to support you in finding a way to grieve, and to live with grief, that is authentic to you.
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In short - yes. You can grieve in many ways and all of these experiences are grief experiences. Different people will be impacted by different loss events in different ways so the places where you feel the most grief may be different from others.
We can certainly experience grief even when someone has not yet passed away. This is called anticipatory grief and means that when we know that a loss is coming, or are experiencing elements of loss (such as changes in personality or ability) even when the person is still alive, we can still experience the grief process.
We can also experience what we call disenfranchised griefs. These are things that are often not noticed or prioritized as much from society as a whole, like a miscarriage/infertility struggles or the loss of a pet, but still have a profound impact on the people who experience these losses.
The bottom line is, if you feel like you are experiencing a loss and grief, then you probably are experiencing grief, even if it looks different than what you expected it to be. All grief is valid and there is space here for your grief.
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I am happy to work with people as either an individual or a couple to work together through the process of grief. When you attend therapy for grief and loss as an individual, this is a space for just you, your experience, and your needs. When you attend as a couple, our goals often include building and understanding of each person’s experiences and needs and how you can mutually support each other as you share in your grief. Grief impacts all parts of our lives, including our relationships, and people grieve in different ways. Coming to grief therapy as a couple can help you to connect in the process of grieving and create deeper understanding of and connection with your partner.
Due to ethical considerations, I can only work with a client in either individual or couples therapy. If I am working with you as an individual or couple and you would like to engage in the other type of therapy as well, I am happy to provide referrals.
