Grief Counselling
Has Grief Left A Hole In Your Heart?
Have you recently lost a loved one or experienced another kind of significant loss?
Do you feel a profound sense of emptiness, as if there’s a void in your life?
Is it difficult to confide in friends and family because they don’t understand what you’re going through?
Nothing in life is harder than grief.
You might feel a mix of sadness, shock, and disbelief, as if your life isn’t quite real anymore and your loved one’s absence is too overwhelming to process. It probably seems impossible to imagine your future without them, since their existence took up such a huge part of your identity.
Although the people around you seem to have moved on with their lives, you’re still wrestling with your grief as intensely as if it just happened. As a result, you may feel deeply alone in the grieving process. You might experience strained relationships with friends and family who don’t understand your pain. For the first time, you may be considering grief therapy.
Grief Can Feel Like An Emotional Rollercoaster
The unpredictable nature of grief can be disorienting and confusing. Because your emotions may come and go like waves without rhyme or reason, you could feel different from one day to the next. Sometimes you might feel tired, numb, and affectless; other times you might feel unable to contain your sadness and break down in tears.
Grief can rob you of your energy, disrupt your routine, and even cause changes in your appetite and sleep habits. You may find yourself bargaining with the past and sinking into regret, thinking: If only I had done more for my loved one while they were alive or If only I had told them how much I loved them.
Thankfully, you don’t have to struggle through the ups and downs of grief alone. At Project Heal, our therapists specialize in helping clients find meaning in the midst of their grief and live in a way that honours the memory of the one they lost. We also provide counselling for anyone struggling to recover from divorce, job loss, relocation, and any form of significant loss.
The Grieving Process Is Unique To Each Person
Grief transcends cultural, social, and demographic boundaries. It’s a universal human experience. All of us go through a significant loss at some point in life. However, the intensity and duration of grief can vary widely from person to person.
For some, complicated—or prolonged—grief may develop. This means that, no matter how hard we try to accept our loss, we cannot move forward. We may get stuck in denial and refuse to acknowledge the death of a loved one or find that our emotional pain has begun to deeply impact how we function. When this happens, it’s vital to seek support. We aren’t meant to grieve alone—we are social creatures and we heal best in the context of supportive therapeutic relationships.
Despite What Our Culture Says, Grief Does Not Have An Expiration Date
Unfortunately, when we experience a loss, many of us feel pressured to “get over it” sooner than we are ready to. After a few months, our friends, coworkers, or family members may expect us to move on. As a result, we might not feel comfortable talking about our grief. We may choose to bury it down, feeling increasingly alone in our experience without a shoulder to cry on.
What’s more, we may inaccurately believe that the stages of grief we’ve heard about—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—are linear and predictable. However, grief is messy. We may become overwhelmed with intense emotions long after our loved one has passed. We may also go months—or even years—thinking that our grieving is done, only for it to resurface at unexpected times.
Fortunately, you don’t have to move through the stages of emotional pain without support. By finding healthy coping mechanisms to better handle grief, counselling can help facilitate long-term healing.
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Counselling Can Help You Navigate Your Grief And Integrate Your Loss In A Meaningful Way
When you lose someone you love, the pain of losing them never completely goes away—just as your love never goes away, either. But with the right help and support, you can learn to navigate each day with a bit more peace. You can reach a point where the memories of your loved one bring more comfort than sorrow. And you can move forward while still living in a way that honours their impact on your life.
At Project Heal, our goal is to be a shoulder that you can lean on and cry on during this difficult time. We’ll give you a safe space to freely express your emotions without any fear of being a “burden” to anyone. Our therapists are very knowledgeable about the grieving process and we know there is no wrong way to grieve. We’re here to help you walk through this season of loss in a manner that’s right for you.
What To Expect In Grief Counselling Sessions
Since everyone grieves differently, therapy looks different for each client. Our therapists can draw from a wide range of approaches to help you regulate your emotions, process your loss, and navigate the ups and downs of the grieving process. Some of the most effective treatment methods for grief include:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Eye Motion Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
- Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
- Somatic Therapy
- Stress management and mindfulness techniques
In addition to providing the approaches listed above, we would be happy to connect you with a grief support group if you’d like to join one. We want to do everything we can to bolster your support system, ensuring that you have a strong foundation to hold you up throughout your healing journey.
Although there are no shortcuts through grief, having someone to walk alongside you can help you explore ways to navigate the pain and integrate the memories of your loved one in a meaningful way. In grief counselling, we aim to offer not just professional support, but a genuine connection where you are heard, understood, and unconditionally accepted.
You May Have Some Questions About Grief Counselling…
Grief is a uniquely personal journey with no set timetable. Your grief counsellor will support you as you endeavor to process and heal your deep emotional wounds. Along the way, we encourage you to be patient with yourself and practice self-compassion. Grief is a lifelong process, and the goal is not to “get over” your loss, but to learn to find peace and serenity in its wake.
Seeking support from a grief counsellor is a sign of strength and self-awareness. Grief counselling provides tools and perspectives that can help you navigate the complex emotions that come with loss, empowering you to embark on a journey of healing and restoration. It’s hard to express how you truly feel if you’ve been taught to conceal your emotions, but it’s important to reconnect with them when you are grieving. In counselling, we can work on that together.
While your loss is irreplaceable, grief counselling focuses on helping you navigate the emotional aftermath. In therapy, you can develop coping strategies to manage the symptoms of grief and discover ways to live a meaningful life despite your loved one’s absence. This is about connecting with your resilience, creating a new narrative, and finding pockets of joy and strength in the midst of your sorrows.
Your Loved One Meant The World To You. Let’s Create A Future That Honours Them.
If you would like to find out more about grief therapy with Project Heal, either in-person or online, please call 778-323-8997 or visit our contact page to set up a free,15-minute consultation today.
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