Grief and Loss Counselling in Lake Cowichan, BC.

Experiencing a loss goes beyond the loss of the family, friend, pet, or child to be. Not only have you lost the loved one physically; you lose what your life was with them; and what your future with them would have been. Overcoming such loss can feel overwhelming and impossible to heal. Counselling can make a significant difference in getting through this difficult period. Family members who may mean well may not understand the loss and inadvertently cause us pain: by expecting us to ‘get over it’, and by impatient and unsympathetic. Counselling offers a compassionate sounding board that is sympathetic and non-judgemental. We are able to heal at our own pace in a supportive environment.

Inspired by the work of David Kessler, the industry leader in Grief work, we aim to help our clients find meaning through their grief. If nothing else we strive to bear witness to our clients' grief and hold space for them to move through their emotional experiences in pursuit of healing. We will never put a timeline on your healing process and will walk alongside you the whole way.

After significant loss, you may experience difficult and surprising emotions, such as anger, shock and guilt. It may feel like the sadness will never go away. I know personally what this feels like and I support many people who are trying to find ways to cope and find their reason to continue. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. There are however many healthy ways to cope with the pain. You can get through it! I can help you.

Grief is a potential reaction to a loss of any kind whether through death, divorce, abandonment, separation, job loss, illness, disease diagnosis, kids leaving home, etc. Feelings of anger, resentment, shame, confusion, isolation or abandonment can result. Friends and family may not know what to say or how to provide support. A trained professional, who is profoundly sympathetic, respectful and empathetic, with the skills required to help one navigate through this difficult time, can be critical in helping one regain equilibrium.

Grief and loss is an area of focus at Island Clinical Counselling. Therapy involves spending time in the emotions associated with the grief and loss in order to allow the individual to process the emotion in a healthy way. Experiencing grief and loss is like no other emotion and sometimes is connected to trauma. We ensure clients are treated in a trauma informed way so that their safety is prioritized.

Many life events can force us to be struggling with feelings of grief and loss not just the death of someone close to us. Life transitions like separations, job losses, health issues can be challenging and can take longer to adjust to without healthy support people who can help us to explore our thoughts and feelings. Rather than avoiding the pain attached to these difficult life transitions and losses, counselling can encourage us to move through the grief toward acceptance of the new reality.

Did you know that the "stages of grief" were actually developed for those facing death, NOT for those who have lost a loved one? Unfortunately, this leads many to feel they MUST grief in a certain order of stages. -And that if they don't, that they are somehow doing it wrong. NOT TRUE! Grief looks different for everyone and happens at it's own pace. I offer non-judgemental support and guidance to those who have suffered a significant loss. This includes the complicated grief of losing a living family member to addiction, mental illness or brain disease such as dementia.

We all grieve as grief is a natural response to loss. However, losing a loved one or even a cherished pet can affect us in profound and life-changing ways. Sometimes, loss is experienced due to losing a job or a relationship, and we also experience grief. My approach to Grief counseling can help you process the emotions experienced because of loss or traumatic loss. If you are overwhelmed, unable to separate from your loved one, or having difficulties with physical symptoms, routines, lifestyle changes, trauma, and sadness, our work together can help you accept the emotions experienced, develop strategies to cope with loss, build on strengths through support, and heal and adapt to change.

While grief and transition are a natural part of life, we are still often overwhelmed by sadness, anger and all the confusing emotions that come with loss. There is no right or wrong way to grieve—just your body and mind doing what it can to process the pain of major life change and the loss of how things were. Working with me means compassionate care that helps you to approach and feel your feelings in a safe way, taking things one step at a time. I promise you that all grief can be transformed into a gentle honouring of who or what was lost. I would be happy to team up with you in your journey towards peace and acceptance.

When we experience loss, we can become stuck in a pattern of negative feelings and emotions. It can be hard to more forward in the healing process. EMDR can help by targeting and reprocessing the underlying memories and emotions associated with the loss, thus allowing us to move through the stages of grief in a more healing and adaptive way. By reprocessing the negative experiences, we reduce the negative symptoms and increase our sense of emotional resilience and well-being.

Losing a friend or family member can be devastating no matter the circumstances. We can also experience pain from losing a pet, a job or the ending of a relationship. Regardless of what kind of grief or loss you are struggling with, I will support you in facing your pain and finding a way forward. I will help you to understand the process and stages of grief and make sense of it. When we come to make meaning out of our loss our pain is lessened. I will also help you find peace and acceptance.