Grief and Loss Counseling in Idaho Springs, CO.

I am a prolonged grief therapist trained by The Prolonged Grief Institute at Colombia University. The following are the cornerstones of my approach to Grief and Loss: Grief is the natural response to loss and it doesn’t have a time limit. Grief doesn’t go away completely, but we change our relationship to it. Adapting is different from coping. Adapting happens naturally. It’s what living things do when we are faced with meaningful changes.

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 searing pain.

In grief and loss therapy, I work with you to honor and explore the stories that connect you to your loved one or the experience you have lost. Rather than seeing grief as something to “move on” from, we work to respect and integrate the relationship you hold with your memories, allowing them to have a place in your life. Together, we’ll re-author your story of loss to include your resilience, values, and the meaningful legacies that endure, helping you find ways to re-engage with life in a way that feels authentic to you.

The death of a loved one can be the most stressful event in a person’s life. I know how a wide array of emotions can be experienced, such as sadness, anger, anxiety, guilt, and despair. Changes in sleep patterns and appetite can occur, as well as physical illness. These are all normal parts of grieving and the feelings can ebb and flow over time. It is important to seek out a therapist who understands your loss. As a family therapist I am specialty trained to understand the impact of loss on your family and I can assist you through your bereavement process.

In many ways all of therapy is about grief and loss. We are grieving what happened to us (or did not) in the past or what might never happen in the future. Obviously there are exceptions to this, but in therapy, we are trying to come to an understanding about what happened to you, your unique response, and how it manifests in your life now. We are pattern driven beings that often adopted survival skills early on to manage what happened to us. Some of those patterns don't serve us as adults and can cause disfunction in our current relationships (with self or others). Being able to objectively understand those patterns is a goal and necessary to offset how we show up relationally.

Connecting to our experiences of grief & loss means connecting to ourselves again. As people, a common experience we share is that of loss. Sometimes a loss is a death, or the end of a relationship. Other times it may be result from a change in a persons health, possessional or security loss, or dreams and desires. The impact of a loss resonates through various parts of our life. The impact my be our sleep, nutrition, motivation, mood, relationships, job, or even passions/hobbies. It can feel overwhelming to sort out all the feelings and experiences. Counseling gives you a space to safely unload your experiences, receive validation, and create steps to reconnect to yourself and your life.

The process of grieving is complex. There are several types of grief other than the death of a loved one. There is no "right or wrong" way to move through this painful process. There is no time frame for healing so our time together will be based on your personal experience and process of healing. My goal is to meet you where you are and facilitate healing in a safe & trusting environment.

I offer grief and loss counseling in Northern Colorado to help you overcome the debilitating affects of losing a loved one. Nothing can replace what you lost, but there is hope for healing from the loss and finding new ways to experience happiness. Find out if grief and loss counseling is right for you. Call to schedule your free consultation today.

As an experienced Christian Counselor and ordained pastor, I’ve supported many men through the grief process. If you’re grieving, I will provide a supportive space for you to process your emotions. Because grief is a normal part of being human, I can’t take it away or rush you through it. However, I can help you identify barriers to grief, and help you prevent the grief process from becoming stuck. I know grief professionally. But I also know grief personally. Losing one of my best friends and my beloved grandparents was hard enough, but facing the untimely death of my father was, and is, a uniquely painful experience. If given the chance, I would be honored to help you process your grief.

Grief is not linear. After loss, the sadness comes unexpectedly. It waxes and wanes on its own. The only way to be with it is to let it move through you. If you try to bottle it up, it will come out later. It can also build in your system lead to other emotional difficulties. Grief is a natural process and it's important to let it happen. I'm here to support you in being with the grief in a compassionate, kind way.

Unfortunately grief and loss is a part of life. Loss of a loved one, a divorce, loss of a job are all reasons people experience grief. Everyone experiences a loss in their own way. I will help you deal with the grief you are experencing by allowing you to feel without judgement. I use techniques such as guided imagery and breathing techniques to help you face and feel your grief instead of burying it. Sometimes we never get over a loss but with support and help, you can get through it.

Life can be seen as a series of losses. We do not suffer because of these losses, but because we do not know how to deal with the losses in healthy ways. Pain is part of life and pain needs to be embraced and understood. Grief is a normal response to loss. It takes us on a jouney of self-discovery and personal renewal. It is when we deny, minimize and run away from the uncomfortable feelings that flow from losses that we create our own internal problems. I can help you find the courage to face the pain of loss and disappointments. That will enable you will grow through the difficult parts and become a more fully alive person.

The death of a loved one is possibly the single most difficult experience that anyone can face. Seeking out counseling is a good way to handle the grief and loss that come after experiencing loss. Your counselor can help you explore the intense feelings of sadness and loss. Many people are expected to continue their normal daily activities after a loss, such as going to work and taking care of family. Therefore, they are unable to fully experience and explore their grief. Yet research has shown that the more deeply you can feel and understand your pain the better prepared you will be to move beyond your grief and re-enter normal life. Call today: (970) 227-2770.

Grief is a powerful and unique process. There are numerous examples of how grief and loss can show up in your life, but often grief is in response to a deep and profound loss that you have experienced. This can show up as losing your loved one; your spouse, your close friend, your colleague, your beloved pet, or it can be the loss of your job, your marriage, your relationship, your home, or some other aspect of your identity. Love, patience, and compassion are vital to your grief process. Being able to navigate your grief process on your own can be overwhelming and that is when it is helpful to have someone to work with to support you and help you heal by being a witness to your process.