Grief and Loss Counselling in Calgary, AB.

The loss of a loved one can be one of the most challenging emotional experiences that people face in their lives. Loss and grief can also be experienced for other reasons such as when an individual or a loved one develops a serious disability or life-threatening illness. I support people through the symptoms of grief and the difficult life adjustments that follow. The goal of counselling is reached through the expression of emotions, memories and thoughts about the loss, while normalizing its effects. The hope is that eventually people work toward rebuilding and find their new sense of normal.

Grief is a natural process that can hurt like your heart's literally being ripped out or like there's a huge hole inside - however you experience it, it's a pain that can defy description. I can guide you through the healing process, which can look different for everyone depending on the situation. It's not about forcing you to move on - it's about helping you grow around the loss until you personally feel comfortable living a full life again.

Standard Grief: Sadness directly related to a loss. Complex Grief: Sadness related to a loss. Includes additional meanings and associated emotions as in: Regret – “I am a horrible person” Anger – “The universe took something too soon” Hopelessness – “ My life has not meaning now” Fear – “I am at risk of losing more” Helpless – “I am incapable- I cannot go on” Complex grief is grieving that get stuck because of the complicating meaning the trauma of loss has triggered. In order to treat complex grief, we remove the LBs associated with the loss, as shown above, and this lets the standard grief progress through the regular stages of grief, to arrive at a healthy perspective on the loss.

Grief is often misunderstood. It is a powerful and natural emotion. When loss occurs, we are hit with a confusing myriad of emotions. Our minds and hearts are battered by an onslaught of scary, strange, unpredictable emotions that do not abate on their own. In the midst of loss, each person’s experience is profoundly unique and often very isolating. Today we are in a grief epidemic. Grief springs not only from death but also from life-altering events (such a brush with cancer). Grief counselling provides many valuable insights including: a) the increased ability to feel and understand the pain of loss experience; b) better ways to manage the challenges that accompany supporting ourselves and....

Grief is a process that is unique to the individual experiencing it. It has a cyclical cycle, rather than linear, and part of getting through it is working on the skills of accepting and releasing as well as identifying personal needs. Learning to identify emotions and knowing how to express them is extremely helpful in building self-awareness and empathy for yourself, as well as others which in turns increases resiliency.

Do you find yourself thinking about all of the ways that you could have or should have prevented that painful thing from happening? Sentences starting with "If only I", "If only they", "I should have", I shouldn't have" are all thoughts brought on by grief and loss and the desperation to change painful experiences and life events that result in loss. Do you revisit painful losses or feel trapped by grief that has a grip on you that will not let go? At Mindful Centre we understand grief and loss and we can help you to process the pain while honoring the ones you love and finding comfort and healing.

I offer grief and loss counselling for not only a human loved one but also a beloved pet. I can deeply empathize with my clients due to having experienced these types of losses myself. I believe that it is only through personal experience that one can appreciate the unimaginable sorrow and heartache of losing a special person or animal. This is why support groups are so effective, as people take solace in the reality that they are not alone.

Grief is a normal response to loss. Together we can help you feel less alone as you make your way through the rivers of grief and forests of sadness. I believe no matter how much pain we are in, something inside us is stronger than pain. Accommodating the process of grief and its effects do not have to be processed alone. You can get through this pain, and there is a path back to feeling alive again. We will email back and forth, it's just like talking to a friend only you will receive professional help on your own schedule. Secure, and completely confidential, to assist you in the healing process around mourning , and provide comfort to the bereaved.

No matter what your loss, you may experience difficult, overwhelming and surprising emotions. As a counsellor and registered nurse, I have been a companion on many people’s journey through grief. I have been there through the final hours of life, with loved ones when death is traumatic and sudden, when death is through suicide and when parents have lost their precious child. I also understand what it is like to lose one’s health. If you have difficulty facing your grief or coping with the pain of loss, are blaming yourself for the loss, have unresolved issues or are depressed, I can help you.

Feeling lost and alone? Wish others understood, or knew what to say? I journey with people touched by loss in their life, big or small (in fact, in my mind, no loss is really 'small,' because it's significant to YOU). What we do with our disappointments and losses will define who we are (Dan Allender). Whether you're stuck with grief from the past, or coping with life changes today, having friends along the journey who can be with you in your pain are what you need. Together you and I can help you move through this difficult phase of your journey, resulting in renewed hope and yes, joy, that comes from a healed heart.

Grief and bereavement are very normal responses to loss. However, the experience of grief and bereavement can be extremely difficult and feel paralyzing or overwhelming. Whether you have lost a loved one, a beloved pet, or have experienced a change in ability or circumstance, I can help you explore loss, learn tools to process grief, and build a plan for coping.

I help clients with grief and loss using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), an approach in which I am certified. I encourage clients to set aside regular times to let themselves grieve. This makes it easier to focus on other matters during the rest of the day. I explore with clients ways of grieving which would be most helpful to them.

If one is going to love they are going to experience loss. Loss, suffering and grief are part of living. Research clearly shows that the grieving process entails emotional reflection and redefining one's way of being in the world. By engaging in grief counselling with me you will rewrite the story of your life so that the one you have lost lives on in you via your memories and in your life via the stories you tell others about them. As the saying goes, "after great pain a new life emerges" by deeply engaging in the grief process with me you will open yourself up to the emergence of a rich and full life.