Grief and Loss Counselling in View Royal, BC.

I can offer you a compassionate and healing presence, where you can begin to sort out your feelings and needs. You are unique in your healing process, and I will be there to listen and offer support and understanding. Only when we are deeply heard is it possible to move forward and change. It is possible to transform grief and loss in to new growth and healing with the right support, and you are never meant to do this alone.

Major loss and grief effects many of us to some extent in our lives. I believe in the value of the grieving process and the importance of not rushing through it or cutting it off. Grief can be unpredictable and needs to be honored as we move through life’s most difficult challenge. I can work with you through the full range of feelings—anger, fear, gratitude, love, despair – whatever is coming up for you on a given day.

Losing someone through a relationship break up, the loss of life, or a major change in life circumstances can be the most profoundly sad experiences we endure in this life. A loss may feel insurmountable or you may be numb, rejecting the loss, avoiding the suffering that comes with acknowledging a new reality. It is sad but true that suffering is a part of human existence. But so is joy, happiness and contentment. Counselling can help you understand what you need in order to grieve. Recognizing the importance of your loss, accepting it and making plans for moving forward can help you continue on your path and learn to cope and survive your grief.

We will all experience loss in our life. Loss can take so many forms, from the loss of a dear loved one, to the loss of a job, a pet, a dream, a role, or an identity. Grief is what we feel following a loss. No two person's grief looks the same, although culture sometimes judges right and wrong ways to grieve. Grief can encompass a complex range of sometimes conflicting feelings, from deep sadness, regret, and guilt, to relief, joy, and gratitude. All feelings in the grief experience are valid, and these feelings may come, go, and change dynamically over time. Counselling can help you to move forward with your grief and make meaning of your loss.

In my grief counselling practice, I specialize in guiding individuals through the intricate emotions that emerge following the loss of a loved one or a significant life change. I provide a secure and nurturing space where you can openly express your feelings, delve into memories, and address the challenges associated with grief. As your dedicated counsellor, I am committed to fostering a compassionate and understanding environment, supporting you on your journey to healing and finding a path forward.

The death of a loved one, or the loss of a relationship, identity, role, possession, or job can be extremely difficult to live with. How do you endure and make sense of the unfathomable? Although grieving in relation to loss is a normal response, sometimes we become immobilized by it, and need help and support in order to deal with it effectively. Dr Sloat can support you by helping you to, 1) Process and work through your grief, 2) Find new meaning and purpose in the face of tragedy, and 3) Find the courage to eventually move on.

I am honoured that you are interested in my services and I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. I have been described as slightly non-conventional in the counselling world, which suits me perfectly, and also tends to suit youth who are trying to stand up to the force of the problems in their life. I am very comfortable working with this population, and I feel fortunate that I can connect with teens the way I do, conventionally or in a way that makes sense to them.

Life isn’t always what we want it to be. People die; relationships can end; life gives some terrible surprises. Normally when we experience loss we slowly adjust to a new reality. But we can experience “complicated grief” – getting stuck in grieving somehow. Negative feelings, like anger, regrets, or guilt can hang around. Life can seem more difficult (work, your relationship, your feelings about yourself, e.g.). Perhaps you feel alone, or stuck fighting. Counselling can help you identify and process what is going on. I can help you connect to your past while figuring out how to move forward. I provide a safe, unbiased place to share your story and resolve your experience.

If you are reading this description because you have recently suffered a loss, please know that I am deeply sympathetic to your pain. In therapy, my intent is to bear witness to your suffering, to ensure that your emotions are sorted through and given open expression, and then to help find meaning in what often seems a meaningless situation. I believe that grief is complicated, highly personal, and not responsive to formulas or prescribed methods of treatment. There is only an untread path, and I would be honoured to walk it with you.

Grief counseling helps people cope with grief and mourning following the loss of a loved one or due to major life changes that trigger feelings of grief (i.e. job loss or divorce). It provides a space for individuals to work through and process the complex emotions surrounding loss. Healthy grieving results in remembering the loss with a newfound sense of peace, rather than emotional pain.

Loss is a natural part of life, the ebb and flow of living. Experiencing pain is also an inevitable part of being human. Suffering , however, is optional. Sometimes, the intensity of the grief when we experience loss can disable us and freeze us in our tracks. The grief work that you and I do will bring the forward the emotions that are trapped. I will support you in making sense of the loss and how to go forward with a new narrative about yourself and your life.

Grief and loss are both universal and unique experiences. We all experience them from time to time and the experience can be overwhelming and debilitating. I will help you understand that experiences inform us but do not define us - we can choose our path through grief and loss and leave it behind, changed but not broken or damaged. There is life in front of us to be lived and every experience we have is important and informative to who we become.

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.

Grief and loss can be all consuming in one's life. Therapy can move you through the pain to a place of honouring that which was lost. Our body holds onto grief. Instead of "leaving it all behind", healthy grieving is a way of creating space to carry forward the helpful and beautiful essence of people, moments, events and items that are important to us.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by loss, struggling to cope with the pain, and finding it hard to move forward? Grief can be isolating and exhausting, leaving you feeling stuck in sadness and longing for peace. As a clinical counsellor, I understand how difficult this journey can be. But I also know that healing is possible. Imagine having someone by your side who truly understands what you're going through, who offers compassionate support and effective strategies to help you heal. Together, we can navigate this difficult time and find a way to honour your loss, rebuild your strength, and rediscover hope. Let's start this journey together. Book a free 15-minute phone consultation today.

Grief & loss can seem debilitating and overwhelming and many people struggle in moving on. Counselling is a highly effective resource for healing after a loss. Through compassion and understanding we will work to heal the pain of the event and move into acceptance and peace. Whether you are grieving the loss of a loved one, the loss of health or mobility, divorce or mid life transition, we can help.

Grief is a multilayered emotion that can come in waves, it can wax and wane, or it can completely throw you off your feet at different times in your life. I am here to help you gain footing by providing a compassionate and safe space to explore the difficult and complex terrain of grief. I will meet you wherever you are in your grieving experience and provide you with a safe and compassionate space to move within it in meaningful ways. I will offer information about the grieving process to help you understand some of the confusing, distressing and overwhelming feelings you may be experiencing and to help promote confidence in your ability to navigate through this challenging time.

My approach is to join with you to understand your experience of loss intimately and deeply in conversation with you. When we are joined with the pain, you will not have to feel it alone, even if the grief is only fully healed with time. I will help you make sense of your feelings and provide psychoeducation around the phases of grief, specifically to how these known phases can be meaningful to your current experience, what you are feeling, and how you can continue to honour the person, relationship, or thing that you have lost and find acceptance and hope.

Our natural response to any loss is to grieve. Maybe there is grief for a loved one, for a broken promise or betrayed trust, for lost opportunities, for the suffering of another, for the end of a relationship, or the loss of a job. It can be a complicated process involving a complex (and often confusing) array of painful feelings that often affect us on all levels - mind, body and spirit. In my practice, I help people to work through the mourning process, exploring ways to honor their loss, and begin to adapt to changes and new realities. Maybe together, we can find a way through.

When someone to whom you are attached dies or abandons you, you may be devastated, lonely, angry, sleepless, miserable. You may believe that never again will you be happy. Maybe you feel guilt. Your grieving may be delayed or denied for many years because it is squeezed out by other concerns. Unfinished grieving has the power to disturb your life long afterward and you may not realize what the reason is. I will ask you the story of your loss. Dr. Janice is an expert in general grief work, child death, child loss and post abortion grieving. Grief counseling will help you to find peace and acceptance and to go on with your life. Other losses include loss of health, employment or relationship.

Are you using alcohol, substances, or addictive behaviors to cope with grief and loss? Although they provide relief in the short term, their long-term effects on your relationships and health can make it even more difficult to cope. Through a compassionate non-judgmental approach, I help clients explore their relationship to grief and loss so that they can overcome addictive coping strategies. If you're looking for another way forward, feel free to reach out and we can set up a free consultation to discuss further.

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.

Whether the grief you are experiencing is the result of the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or an unexpected change to your life plans, Gravitate Counselling Inc.'s counsellors are here for you. We can support you to explore what the loss means to you, process the difficult emotions that come alongside change, and, when you're ready, to explore what your future might look like. Book with one of our Registered Clinical Counsellors today to get started.

Working through grief and mourning, is often a long-term process. There can be a range of emotions, thoughts and physical experiences as you adjust to your life after a loss. Significant life changes may include the loss of a loved one, pet, relationship, pregnancy, job, divorce, a move and relationship. I can help by listening to however you need to speak about your loss, at anytime in your experiences. Mourning is a normal and very personal process that does not have a time limit. Yet, sometimes you may feel stuck and at those times, it can be helpful to use on EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to work through those sticking points.

The grief process is different for everyone yet also flows through some universal patterns. Grief largely relates to themes such as acceptance of the loss, the processing of emotions, and learning to live life in the light of the loss. Rituals and ceremonies often support grief and loss work, as well as making peace with the past. Other approaches include journaling, connecting through visualization, going to meaningful spaces, and continuing your connection in practical or spiritual ways. Together we can work to support the often times painful transitions related to grief and loss.