Grief & Loss

As a grief counselor who has also experienced loss, I take the gentle approach of moving forward rather than moving on. There is no time limit to grief, and there is no singular way to do it. What can be helpful is understanding that while we are taught to quickly pull ourselves up and out of the most painful times in our lives, that is usually not a great plan for grief. In fact, rushing it and moving too fast can often make people feel worse.

Compassionate support through individual counseling is like letting someone else help carry a weight that is too heavy for one person. It lessens the burden and allows for more of what the body and brain may need: room to breathe, a person to listen, and an understanding of what is happening physically and emotionally. Grief is there waiting when we are ready to examine it, feel it, and change with it. For grief support I begin with the wisdom of David Kessler, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, and Julia Samuel, who are all experts in the field. However, where we go from there depends on the one expert on your own loss: you.