Grief & Loss Counseling
Are You Struggling With Grief?
Brokenhearted or just getting by, you know you need help.
The good news is that I can guide you each step of the way.
Have you or your loved one received a diagnosis of a serious illness? Are you struggling with a loss or impending end-of-life issues? Have you experienced grief and loss during the COVID-19 health crisis? Perhaps you are grieving the loss of what might have been. Grief can be one of the most powerful emotions that you experience and it is intensely personal. Grief can happen in response to loss of life, as well as, to drastic changes to daily routines and ways of life that usually bring you a sense of comfort and a feeling of stability. Common reactions to grief include:
· Shock, disbelief, or denial
· Anxiety
· Distress
· Anger
· Periods of Sadness
· Loss of sleep and loss of appetite
· Tired, Emotionally Drained
· Isolating
The emotions of grief can be overwhelming and affect your day-to-day functioning. You feel exhausted, sad, frustrated, confused, scared and unsure how to navigate your situation. The experience is a tangled web of thoughts and feelings that can affect your physical health.
Recovering from loss might be the hardest work you ever do and though you want it to be fixed yesterday, grief takes time. No two people grieve in the same way or on the same timeline. Getting the help you need is so important, because you are likely experiencing intense feelings and thoughts that you have never experienced before. Grief affects everyone differently and there are many types of grief. You are not alone in this process, let me help you heal.
“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”
— C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed
Loss of a Loved One
Once a loved one has passed away, many people say that they feel empty; like there is a void in them once a loved one has passed. The loss is like a void in you and leaves you feeling empty.
Grief is the price of love. When you experience love, it fills a space in you, and once you lose someone or something that you loved, it leaves a huge void. That empty space feels like a hole in your soul. Loss of a love or life situation can be devastating to say the least. It can be difficult to know how to cope with the pain of your loss, how to begin the healing process, or where to turn for support as you attempt to discover your “new normal”.
Friends and family will start to move on with their own lives after some time. That’s why it’s so helpful to have a counselor who will listen without judgment, offer support, encouragement, and will help you navigate the changes and challenges you are going through. The process can be a time of self-definition, self-exploration, and re-evaluation. Reflecting on your life and loss at this time can prove to be very healing and can help you to come out of this with wisdom and compassion that you had not expected.
Many professionals say that the most intense losses for people to experience are grieving the death of a loved one or going through a divorce. Some people say that divorce can be harder than death. Death is final, but issues surrounding divorce often go on and on.
Grieving a relationship, like grieving a death, takes time and energy. The loss of a relationship is the loss of a life that you had planned, loss of dreams, perhaps the loss of the family unit, loss of children because they are under someone else’s roof at times. These are only a few of the sensations on the emotional roller coaster when you lose a lifestyle.
If you lost a loved one and you are the executor of the estate, then you have two jobs – the estate issues as well as your own grieving. The estate work is a task that can interfere with the grief process. In addition, the work and decisions involved with the estate along with the grieving can diminish you and affect you physically as well. There are many important decisions involved and at times it can feel impossible. It is so important to take good care of yourself during this difficult time. Counseling can help!
“Grief is visceral, not reasonable: the howling at the center of grief is raw and real. It is love in its most wild form.”
-Megan Devine
Losses That Bring Grief
You may experience other losses that aren’t always recognized and can be difficult to navigate. Loss is a part of everyone’s life at some point and brings much more than just an emotional response. Loss can also have physical, intellectual, behavioral, social and philosophical dimensions.
Your losses, no matter what, are important and often devastating. They represent the disappearance of someone or something that you cherished. I am here to walk with you as you heal from loss, some examples are below:
· Death
· Divorce
· Failed business venture
· Faith
· Financial Security
· Home
· Independence
· Pet
· Physical Health
· Plans, hopes and dreams
· Relationships
· Role in life
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
We live in a death-denying culture where people are expected to ‘get over’ their loss quickly which can be hurtful as you walk through the grieving process. I recognize the many ways that people grieve and am here to support your right to grieve in your own unique way. Your grief is not a problem to be fixed, rather it is to be lovingly tended to. As you move forward you will begin to remember with more love than pain.
At Growth For Living, I offer both online therapy via video sessions on a secure, HIPAA compliant platform and face-to-face sessions in Warren, NJ.