Grief and Loss Counselling in Port Moody, BC.

Grieving is a process and a journey, not a feeling. When we lose someone, the feelings that arise are often unexpected, sometimes even random. And whatever those feelings are, we owe it to ourselves to feel them. They will, in fact, demand to be felt. As a therapist, I try to be a vessel to receive the feelings that come. I do so without judgement.

Losing a loved one, a job or changes to a closely held worldview and value structure alters the way you experience the world. The grieving process over this loss is natural as you come to terms with your new reality. This can be an uplifting time and growth opportunity. By embracing the change in your reality, identifying its meaning and effects on your value structure you will be able to celebrate a lost love one’s life and lessons learned to move forward with the greater purpose. Grief becomes overwhelming when we are trapped in mourning what we no long have. I will work with you to sooth this pain and help identify areas of positive growth; so you can come out the other side a greater str....

Are you feeling sad, anxious, angry, lonely, guilty, relieved, isolated, confused, or numbed out? Loss and grief is most often associated with loss of life, but it can also be central to the presenting problems and underlying issues that are brought into my counselling office by most of my clients. Death, divorce, relocation, immigration, job loss, relationship breakdowns...these are all losses that we need to work through. Talking about your loss and processing your feelings is a good place to start.

Grief and loss comes in many forms. You can grieve a death, a relationship, job, friend or the loss of a life you thought you would have. Grief and loss counselling helps to identify the loss and provide support through the process. Counselling can be beneficial to help you overcome the grief in a healthy, productive way and move forward with your life and goals.

My approach to counselling for grief and loss is that everyone's experience of grief is unique and valid. There is no right way to respond to grief and it is not a linear path. With compassion and understanding I will come alongside you in your journey, wherever you are in your loss. Together we will process the loss as well as the effects it has on your life and relationships. When you are ready we can discuss strategies for your life that will support you as you move forward through the loss and pain, that include meaning and purpose.

Dealing with grief & loss is not easy. When we are grieving, it is often multi-faceted and non-linear, it can bring up many different emotions, some unexpected. Working with a therapist through grief & loss can help process the many emotions that may arise. I view the grieving process of each client as unique and support you by allowing space and guiding you to process whatever is coming up in a way that feels comfortable and towards healing.

Do you wake up in the morning and have a wave of sadness wash over you as you remember the pain of your loss? Although bereavement is part of life there are times when the circumstances surrounding a loss of a loved one makes it very difficult to come to terms with. Together we will hold a space that will allow you the opportunity to be comforted and heal.

Loss can break, alienate, initiate, and open. It can lead to oceans of feelings looming over us, a sense of being distanced from oneself and others—far away adrift at sea, rage at the injustice of loss, and even shame at experiencing rage. I can't predict what the waves may be like for you, but I can help you respond to them. Whether your instinct is to hold, brace, jump, dive, run, scream, float, or let the waves wash over you, together we can feel out what to do and what to make of it all.

Through the use of a client centered approach, we help children and adults learn new ways to process and cope with the loss of a loved one. We use tools such as psycho-education to help clients better understand the grief cycle, as well as use different modalities and ideas for self-care and positive coping as they move through the grief process. We work together with the client towards healing and acceptance.

I work directly with the emotional parts of the brain to take the edge of the pain of grief and loss. I accomplish this through the use of narrative therapy, logotherapy (meaning and purpose), EMDR and OEI (draw out specific areas of emotional pain), and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Clients report that this process significantly decreases their level of stress and pain without the need to recall or relive painful events.

You may have heard this before- grief is not linear, and it comes in many forms, whether it is the loss of a loved one, a home, a friendship, or a relationship/marriage; maybe it is the loss of mobility or good health, perhaps it was a dream you envisioned for yourself, or perhaps you're grieving the life and privilege you once had. Everyone experiences grief differently, and there is no timeline for the grieving process. Together, we practice patience within ourselves and explore how grief impacts you physically, emotionally, and behaviorally. You will find a nurturing and supportive space that gives you time to go through the process without judgment. The loss you've experienced matters.

Grief can be a complex journey to navigate. The therapeutic process honours pain while gradually moving toward the acceptance of the reality of loss, integrating hope and adaptation. Our responses to loss vary, and so there are many ways one can cope with it. In therapy, open dialogue is encouraged to help you express and explore your emotions, without judgment. Practical coping skills may be introduced to manage daily challenges, ensuring a balanced approach to rebuilding life with loss.

Grief isn’t always about death—it can follow any significant loss, such as the end of a relationship, changes in health, or major life transitions. My approach provides a supportive, non-judgmental space to explore your emotions, make sense of your experience, and begin to heal. Through evidence-based practices, I support clients in processing their grief, finding meaning in their experience, and moving toward healing at their own pace. Therapy can help you better understand your emotional responses, reconnect with your strengths, and gently restore hope and balance in your life.

My hope is that as clients work through the reality of the loss they have experienced, they will recover their clarity and inner direction, and will begin to create ways to move forward. Clients are encouraged to acknowledge the loss and to explore the gamut of emotions accompanying this loss. Clients are encouraged to express their gratitude for what was, and at their own pace, begin to move forward.

My Approach to Grief and Loss Counselling includes: Being an Active Listener, Communication, Being Empathetic, Having Compassion, Discovering Strategies and Techniques for Coping with Your Loss, Having a Safe Environment, and Being Non-Judgemental. Benefits Of Counselling with me: I let you Talk about your Loss Openly and Without Guilt. I give you the Emotional Support you need to be able to Express Your Emotions Freely. I will help you to Understand how you can Live Without your Loved One, and how to Recognize and Manage your Intense Feelings that You are Experiencing. We will Learn the Different Ways You Grieve, and How this can Benefit You, and then Prepare for Triggers.

When dealing with grief and loss, successful results come from processing grief in a healthy manner and moving through to a place of feeling more settled. With my approaches of both EMDR & Neurofeedback (NFB), the brain is supported in a healthy manner to best allow the processing of loss and allow healing to take place. With NFB, neural connections are enhanced, affecting the Central Nervous System in a natural way to get the brain and body to be at its best. Once the brain training is completed, the effects last and the client is able to move forward in a settled fashion. With EMDR, clients can quickly decrease the intense and often negative emotional charge that loss brings.

Grief and loss are a natural part of life. People of all ages, cultures and belief systems experience the sadness that accompanies the loss of a loved one, relationship, career or dreams. Relationship is key. Listening with empathy and validation of feelings is essential. The client needs to be heard, understood and emotionally supported. It is import to help the client understand that the grieving process is unique to each person. There is no right or wrong way to experience loss. It is also important to note that bereavement is occasionally misdiagnosed as depression. When an individual is grieving connection with others is eminent. Depression tends to lean towards isolation.

I work with compassion and insight helping clients face loss and grief. Whether the loss is a spouse, a child, a friend, a family member or a pet. I help my clients by explaining the stages of grief that they will most likely go through. I offer a safe place to move ahead from their loss and grief at their own speed. I also have a speciality of working with pet-loss.

Grief and Loss are the primary factors in every area of challenge in our lives. It could be the loss of a key relationship or the loss of self esteem, the loss of direction or health or identity, that is the basis of why one needs counselling support. No matter what the loss is, the benefits of identifying that loss and working through the grief process will release you from pain and hopelessness and move you into a world of hope and possibility!

I understand that the pain you're going through right now feels unbearable, like a heavy weight on your soul. In our work together, we'll create a safe space to explore your feelings and memories, using therapeutic approaches tailored to your unique experience of grief. While the journey ahead may be challenging, it's important to remember that healing is possible. You don't have to go through this alone; I'll be here to support you every step of the way, helping you find a path toward hope and renewal.

We all deal with loss in our lives, whether through injury, death, or life transitions. However, everyone’s grieving process is unique. I work with you to absorb what has happened, to make sense of the experience, and to explore what it means for you to move ahead. Because loss is a stressful experience, I help you take steps to stay as healthy as possible during the process, in the domains of family, work, and life.

Coping with the loss of a loved one can be a very painful experience. When you are caught up in strong emotions such as sadness, anger, fear, or shock, you may feel alone and misunderstood, and wonder if your experience is normal or if it will ever end. You do not have to walk this journey alone. I will come alongside you, to patiently and gently help you move through the grieving process toward a place of acceptance and peace so that you can recover a sense of contentment and meaning in life.

We have to learn to live with it, but losing someone close is so painful and we will all face this pain at many points in our lives. It can feel like we've lost a part of ourselves that we won't be able to live without. This pain can linger, and it can disappear only to reappear as if it had just happened. My hope is to help you feel comfortable to let it in as something that allows you to appreciate the relationship that once was in all its completeness.

Each of our lives is touched by grief and loss in personal ways –and- also globally, at times. The process of grieving can be naturally healing and cleansing. But sometimes loss is overwhelming or we simply need some good support for our grieving process. I believe in our natural ability to heal and recover from loss. Support I offer includes: • Understanding you and your unique story • Taking stock of a loss—what treasures remain and what is truly gone • Educating around healthy and unhealthy grief • Helping you discover the ways you already know how to grieve and cope with loss so you can amplify what helps and lessen what doesn’t

For each client I work with, I provide a personalized and tailored approach, drawing from a range of therapeutic modalities to support your mental health healing and functional recovery. Through a collaborative, client-centered process, I will walk alongside you as we explore meaningful ways to navigate grief and loss—empowering you to live a more fulfilling and balanced life.