Grief Counseling

The Problem

Grief is not the problem!

The problem is that society and culture have led us to believe that the feelings we experience in grief are unnatural and that somehow, we must not show or express them. And however dear we are to those who care about us, most are ill prepared to understand or to help us with our own unique losses. Instead, they:

• Want us not to feel bad when we do
• Want us to replace a loss that is often irreplaceable
• Want us to believe that time will heal everything
• Want us to be strong for others
• Want us to keep busy and to move on

When we hide our grief, we protect others from their own feelings of helplessness and their idea that they’re supposed to do or say something to “fix” the problem. And because feelings can’t be “fixed,” we learn to hide them as a way of comforting those around us. All of this forces us to grieve silently and alone with unfortunate mental and emotional consequences. We may appear to be strong and may even think we are being strong for others, but deep inside we may still feel sad and empty from the “in-completions” that silence cannot fill.

The Process

Grief Counseling is a very personal conversation. In this conversation, a special relationship is created to support you – the grieving person – as you reconstruct your life and your experiences with the person or the part of your life that you have lost. As the grieving person you will come to understand that you are not only grieving the loss of a person (or some other aspect of your life) but you are also grieving the loss of opportunity to:

• Re-experience pleasure, joy and fulfillment;
• Make amends for past grievances;
• Forgive and be forgiven;
• Make the significant emotional statements that you failed to make.

You’ll discover important feelings and insights and will decide what’s left to do as you work toward acceptance and resolution of your unique and profound experience of loss.

In our Confidential Assessment Interview we will assess the history and nature of your loss and then customize a treatment program for your specific needs.