Are you struggling with intense emotions and your world being shattered after experiencing a loss in your life?
Are you finding yourself more fatigued and disoriented?
You are not alone. Loss in life can lead to grief. With grief comes many strong emotions and several grief responses. You might ask yourself, “How am I supposed to act?”
You may feel sad, angry and in a state of disbelief and saying to yourself, “this cannot be true.”
You may feel like you lost your identity or self-esteem.
You may feel an overwhelming sense of stress and have body aches and pains. You may even experience sleep disturbance or be preoccupied with memories. You might just want to be left alone.
Grief reactions are associated with a variety of personal loss. Some challenging and common losses are:
- Loss of a loved one
- News of a serious illness
- Infertility
- Change in a relationship
- Loss of a pet
- Loss of employment,
- Loss of financial security;
- or loss within your workplace
In your loss, you may be feeling a deep sadness and the inability to complete daily tasks at work or home.
I want you to know: There is hope!
I know loss hurts and I want to help you. I am here to listen to you, to offer understanding as you work through your pain and find a new normal.
As a therapist, I am a trained professional and have education and training in grief therapy. I have experienced my own grief and can help you in overcoming your pain. I will explore your current loss, guide you through the stages of grief and provide you with activities and resources to help you process your loss and grief and move toward a sense of calm and well-being.
Can I get through this by just talking to my family and friends?
Of course, you can talk to your family and friends. They may be good support for you. However, they might also be experiencing their own grief and be unable to offer the comfort and help you need. They may lack the training and tools to help you process your grief and move forward. Sometimes when talking to family and friends about our grief, we feel we are burdening them and using their time to talk about our loss. We might cover up our grief to appear like we are coping. A grief therapist’s job is to focus on you and to provide helpful skills to walk through the pain and move forward.
“I am afraid if I work through my grief,
I will forget what I lost.”
Grief counseling does not mean you will forget your loss. It means you will honor and reflect on the loss, cherish the memories of the one lost, then work toward accepting and adjusting to a new life change. Life becomes easier if we take time to grieve.
“I tried therapy in the past and it did not work.”
All grief counselors have different approaches, styles and background. It is important to talk to a few therapists and find one that you feel comfortable with and can open up to in sharing your loss. It is important to remember that each therapist has their own bereavement therapy approach. Sometimes there is not a good personality fit and then you might need to select another therapist that you can work with and trust.
Why is working with me any different?
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor. I have education in grief therapy. For over 12 years, I have worked with diverse populations in nonprofit organizations, community settings, high school and college programs, faith based organizations and in private practice. I use your current strength to teach evidence based skills that bring positive change to your healing process. I am dedicated to my client’s well-being and will help you, if you have a desire to heal from your pain. I know what grief and loss feels like and I understand what it takes to heal from loss in your life.
Maybe I should just keep busy and the feeling will go away?
Waiting for time to heal from your loss can leave you longing to heal and feeling a continued sense of pain that might resurface later in life. You might later find a new loss in life that becomes compounded by a previous loss that was never processed. One day you may realize that you have lost your sense of joy and then realize that a current problem remains linked to a past loss.
In any of these cases, you can move forward. I have worked with a diverse group of clients in a variety of settings, who have faced loss and hoped for someone who would recognize their loss and help them move toward resolution and honoring their memories.
I just cannot think about me now?
It is not unusual during grief to neglect your own needs. Not taking care of your own health can have a negative impact on your well-being. If you have been neglecting your own needs physically, emotionally, socially, intellectually and spiritually, you may need someone to help you address problems and receive some clarity around how to care for yourself and deal with painful feelings. Let me provide you with a place where you can share your grief in a safe supportive environment.
You might think sharing with another is difficult!
You might feel that sharing your grief and fear with another is too difficult. As a grief therapist, I am here to listen to you, to offer practical step by step support on your road to restoration. It takes courage to work through grief and I want you to know, I am here to help you bring life back into focus.
What Do I Do Next?
If you are ready to process your grief, I am here to help you. Call me to for a free 15-minute telephone consultation or to schedule your first appointment at: 469-213-6400.